Systems Built for Growth
Branding is rarely just visual.
These projects involved aligning story, structure, digital experience, and long-term growth.
Berea College Student Craft had a powerful story, decades of history, and nationally recognized work, but its digital experience and messaging didn’t fully reflect the depth of the program. Crosshatch partnered with Student Craft to build a more cohesive identity system rooted in education, storytelling, and contemporary craft culture.
THE CHALLENGE
Student Craft is not a traditional retail brand. It’s part of Berea College’s Work-Learning-Service program where students learn through making.
The challenge was creating a system that could:
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support storytelling
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support commerce
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honor tradition
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feel contemporary
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avoid becoming overly “e-commerce driven”
The work also needed to unify multiple craft disciplines while maintaining warmth and authenticity.
THE APPROACH
Crosshatch developed a flexible identity and digital system centered around:
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human storytelling
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editorial pacing
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photography-forward layouts
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simple navigation
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warm, restrained typography
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scalable product organization
The website was designed to balance:
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institutional credibility
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emotional storytelling
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handcrafted product presentation
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educational mission
We also helped shape the tone of the brand through:
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messaging systems
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product category language
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content structure
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“small batch” positioning
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student-centered storytelling
The system evolved over multiple years, including the addition of a full WooCommerce store experience integrated into the existing narrative structure.
THE RESULT
The refreshed platform helped position Student Craft as both:
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a respected educational program
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and a contemporary craft destination
The site now supports:
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storytelling
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exhibitions
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student features
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product drops
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fundraising
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institutional awareness
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e-commerce
Crosshatch has remained an ongoing creative partner since creating the Student Craft logo in 2019.
“Thank you, Crosshatch for reimagining our historically significant and almost-forgotten ‘Industries’ logo. This refreshed logo celebrates the history of undoubtedly one of the greatest eras of craft production here. We are making a strong progressive move here at Berea College Student Craft to be more forward thinking about what craft can and does mean in the world today. A celebration of our history while undertaking this forward thinking direction is essential to telling the complete story of our contribution”
Aaron Beale, Director of Berea College Student Craft