While there was a budget for the rebrand, How&How waived the fee, asking Freetree and Ecosia to “pay them in trees” instead – 60,000 to be exact. Thus, the rebrand marks not only the start of the brand’s mission to make the Earth “fuzzier” but assists with a tangible contribution along the way. The Freetree browser extension is currently in beta mode and working alongside 40,000 companies, from Lidl to H&M, in an effort to plant trees at no extra cost to the consumer.
According to Cat, landing on this playful approach came down, rather unexpectedly, to looking at words, not visuals. “Words are secret weapons when it comes to design – and good verbal strategy is at the bottom of good visual inspiration,” explains Cat. “Our wonderful strategist Jack came up with the word ‘fuzz’ which was so visual, and a pure gift to the design team, as we were able to hook so much around it.” Wanting to create a feeling of growth and expansion, How&How utilised the bouncy Champ by Typeverything for type, which features carved inktraps, “characterful cuts and ‘tendrils’,” Cat adds.
Meanwhile, to live up to the liveliness of the Freetree characters: “The palette had to feel loud and optimistic,” says Cat. With a baseline suite of greens, the studio brought in pops of accent brights – pinks, yellows and oranges – to suggest foliage in different seasonal states.