CLIENT: Teddy Foundation
PROJECT: Brand Identity, Logo Design, Design Systems, Brand Guidelines, Icons and Website Art Direction
The Project
The Teddy Foundation is a charitable trust established to improve access to safe, equitable, and compassionate maternity care for rural families across New Zealand. Inspired by the loss of baby Theo, the Foundation exists to ensure no parent misses essential pregnancy care because of distance, cost, or circumstance.
The Challenge
The visual identity needed to translate a deeply compassionate and grounded mission into a credible brand without leaning into anything too corporate, clinical, or overly “cute”. The challenge was to strike a balance between heart and strength, ensuring the brand felt hopeful and reassuring while avoiding pregnancy belly stereotypes or overly literal teddy bear imagery. It also needed to sit comfortably alongside established health and charity brands while reflecting connection, protection, and a subtle New Zealand rural identity.
The Solution
I developed a comprehensive brand identity and style system designed to feel clean, calm, and human:
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Visual Direction & Color Palette: Built around warm neutrals and soft earth tones inspired by the rural New Zealand landscape (such as sand, clay, sage, stone, and cream), paired with a grounding accent and avoiding harsh contrasts.
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Typography: Selected a friendly, modern sans-serif for body text, paired with an optional soft serif for headers to add warmth and authority.
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Logo & Core Concepts: Designed a timeless, scalable logo system exploring themes of connection, protection, and legacy—providing a quiet nod to baby Theo without relying on literal imagery.
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Deliverables: Completed primary and secondary logo versions, a custom 3–5 color palette, typography hierarchy, iconography and imagery guidance, and a 2-page brand guidelines PDF along with essential templates.
- Branding