What: Developing the branding, logo, and website for Lehua Lane, a luxury gifting company based in Hawaiʻi (co-founded by myself and my sister).
Goals:
Develop the company’s branding—including logo, color palette, and core messaging.
Create a simple website to establish the brand before reaching out to vendors and potential clients.
Branding
Logo:
The name Lehua Lane is based on the ʻōhiʻa lehua, a flower unique to Hawaiʻi. Of course, we wanted that to be a focal point in the logo, as well.
The logo—like our brand—is elegant, but organic.
I wanted it to include a custom illustration that could be used as a versatile design accent on its own.
I added visual interest to the typeface by making the L and E resemble ʻōhiʻa lehua petals.
The seal version of the logo can be used on any background, including photos. The imperfect outline adds a handmade feel that ties into our brand ethos.
Website
First things first, we needed a simple website for the pre-launch phase before reaching out to vendors and potential clients.
Homepage:
I used a strong visual header to introduce the Lehua Lane brand.
Rather than building several service pages, I simply added an FAQ section to the homepage. Not only did this help us launch quickly, but it gave us flexibility to make changes as we finalized our service offerings.
Visuals:
When we launched this website, we did not yet have any photos of sample gift sets, which presented a bit of a design challenge.
Since respect for Hawaiian culture is a pillar of Lehua Lane’s brand, I decided early on that we would never use cultural elements like tattoos, stars, or tapa patterns as visual filler. Instead, our designs draw on the natural beauty of Hawaiʻi.
About Page:
Our brand positioning statement references specific pain points from my market research interviews.
Lehua Lane is all about fostering meaningful connections through thoughtful, personalized gifts—so it was important for the About page to communicate our personality, values, and passion.
We also wanted to incorporate storytelling in our marketing materials whenever possible as a subtle nod to Hawaiian culture.
Finally, I often tell my clients that branding is not just about your logo and colors—it should be baked into everything your company does. Our giveback program at Lehua Lane ties into both the brand name and our brand values.
