comment-mercantile

MERCANTILE 37
Mercantile 37 was established as a showroom for local artisan home products, materials, and services. Looking to expand from selling goods online to a brick & mortar store in Atlanta IN., they approached myself and others at Marion Design Co. to create a brand to attract locals and visitors from Indianapolis.

RESEARCH​

Extensive research went into competitor research, and analytics to understand Mercantile’s primary audience and create personas. Targeting artsy millennials, upper middle class couples, and Gen X locals, Mercantile 37 had a wide range of an existing audience.

Heavily inspired by vintage Americana, a brand was developed to evoke feelings of nostalgia and handmade craft. The terms “Quality, Custom, Local” came as a result and would dictate merchandise and advertisements. A large series of mood boards were used to help carry these terms throughout and throughout the development of personas and the eventual brand.

APPROACH​
After research, work began on type, color, and a mark for the brand. The slab-serif Corporate E was decided for the primary typeface due to its stability and timelessness, with the neutral Century Gothic acting as the secondary. Along with this, the colors were inspired by pipes, aged wood, and glass insulators.

The logo was based off old car grilles and hand painted sign lettering. The 37 mark was created to be able to stand on its own without being distracting when paired with the logotype.

RESULTS​
Mercantile 37 has fully implemented this brand and enjoys a large flow of traffic in and out of the space. Many of the products, packaging, and signage that were created for this brand are currently being used throughout the store, as well as online. The location currently hosts 50+ makers with a variety of different crafts. A coffee shop, Wheelers, has since opened in the space, further drawing in a younger demographic from surrounding communities.