Brand Strategy & Verbal Identity — 2024
Forward
Outdoor
A Milwaukee outdoor adventure company making nature more accessible — for first-timers, seasoned explorers, corporate teams, and everyone in between.
Strategy & Voice
- —Audience Research
- —Brand Positioning
- —Brand Archetypes
- —Core Values Framework
- —Messaging Framework
- —Brand Voice
- —Tone of Voice
Visual Identity
- —Logo System
- —Colour Palette
- —Typography
- —Design Elements
- —Brand Guide
Client
Forward Outdoor
Year
2024
Brand Strategy
Easton Smiskey
Visual Identity
Cathylynne Punnoose
The Project
Bridging the gap between adventure and access — for everyone who's ever wanted to step outside.
Forward Outdoor wanted to make the Milwaukee outdoors more accessible in an industry long dominated by technical jargon and gear culture geared toward seasoned adventurers. Our work built the full strategic foundation to change that.
We started with deep audience research to map who Forward Outdoor truly serves — from first-timers to experienced explorers, corporate offsites to bachelorette weekends. That research anchored a positioning strategy built around the Sage archetype: a trusted guide who provides knowledge, safety, and thoughtful care to make any experience effortless and memorable.
The result is a brand voice that doesn't exclude anyone. It meets people where they are, earns trust quickly, and makes them feel like they already belong outdoors — they just needed someone to plan the trip.
Core Values
Understanding and defining Forward Outdoor's core values set the foundation for a brand personality and visual identity that resonate with customers.
Brand Personality & Visual Identity
Warm, playful, and unapologetically welcoming.
Visual identity by Cathylynne Punnoose
HORIZONTAL — ON WHITE
STACKED — ON SKY
HORIZONTAL — ON MIDNIGHT
Colour Palette
MIDNIGHT
#16172d
SKY
#c1d8e6
OLIVE
#9f8d32
LIME
#d7cc63
TANGERINE
#f0832a
POPPY
#d43827
Brand in the World
It was important to create design elements that support the personality traits established earlier in the branding process and to provide the Forward Outdoor team with practical ways to implement them.
Client
“Easton worked with us on the branding for our new outdoor adventure company alongside Cathylynne Punnoose. Her brand voice was spot on. She was a pleasure to work with, timely, and listened to our vision while bringing it to life.”
KURT
FORWARD OUTDOOR
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