Transforming the brand identity of Queen of the Neighborhood to expand its presence and connect with a broader audience

Project background

Queen of the Neighborhood (QUOTN) is a Berlin-based platform that connects ethical shoppers, dreamers, and doers with women-owned, sustainable local businesses. As the platform continued to grow and gain recognition, the team wanted to evolve their brand identity and website to reflect their global vision while staying true to their feminist roots.

CLIENT

QUOTN

COMPLETION

August 2019

DURATION

8 weeks

MY ROLE

Website Designer

Graphic Designer

Logo Designer

CONTRIBUTORS

QUOTN (Development Team)

The Challenge

Since launching in 2019, QUOTN had been recognized as a vibrant, community-driven platform within Berlin. However, with rapid growth and plans for international expansion, their original website and logo, while bold and artistic, felt visually heavy and complex. They sought a more minimal, modern, and scalable design system that would maintain the brand’s rebellious energy while appealing to a wider, more diverse audience.

THE GOAL

Design a cohesive brand and web experience that balances feminist activism with approachability and clarity. The new identity needed to communicate empowerment and community while simplifying the visual hierarchy for easier navigation and scalability across platforms.

STEP 1

Rebranding

Logo Sketches

The original logo featured a literal queen’s face, which became unreadable at smaller sizes and didn’t fully represent QUOTN’s mission.

Logo Sketches

The design of original QUOTN logo is complex, and is hard to see the delicate details of the queen’s face when scaled down. The queen also doesn’t fully represent QUOTN’s mission.

Solution: Instead of a literal 'queen' figure, I focused on simplifying to a crown and a location pin.

Logo Sketches

The design of original QUOTN logo is complex, and is hard to see the delicate details of the queen’s face when scaled down. The queen also doesn’t fully represent QUOTN’s mission.

Solution: Instead of a literal 'queen' figure, I focused on simplifying to a crown and a location pin.

To start

Explored hand-drawn crown and location-pin shapes to symbolize leadership and locality

Exploring some more

Logo Sketches

The design of the original QUOTN logo is complex and is hard to see the delicate details of the queen’s face when scaled down. The queen also doesn’t fully represent QUOTN’s mission.

Solution: Instead of a literal 'queen' figure, I focused on simplifying it to a crown and a location pin.

Iterated multiple logo sketches to find a form that balanced femininity, rebellion, and simplicity.

Almost... but not quite there

Logo Sketches

The design of the original QUOTN logo is complex and is hard to see the delicate details of the queen’s face when scaled down. The queen also doesn’t fully represent QUOTN’s mission.

Solution: Instead of a literal 'queen' figure, I focused on simplifying to a crown and a location pin.

Logo Sketches

The design of the original QUOTN logo is complex and is hard to see the delicate details of the queen’s face when scaled down. The queen also doesn’t fully represent QUOTN’s mission.

Solution: Instead of a literal 'queen' figure, I focused on simplifying to a crown and a location pin.

Explored marker-style outlines to preserve the original DIY punk aesthetic while ensuring flexibility for digital use

THE RESULT

QUOTN LOGO 2.0

STEP 2

Website Design

The goal

The old landing page was colorful and complex. The monochromatic collage, bright neon green, and graffiti font style were all inspired by "Riot Grrrl" - an underground feminist punk movement that began in the early 1990s.

Similarly, QUOTN addresses all feminists, who want to support each other and create an alternative to the current economy, and decided that they need a fresh and clean look for the website design to attract a wider audience.

Branding and Visual Language

We retained QUOTN’s signature neon green to honor the Riot Grrrl spirit but paired it with a neutral palette and grainy, cardboard-inspired textures to emphasize sustainability.

Typography choices (EDO + Muli) blended edge and readability, helping create a clean, modern look that still carried the personality of the movement.

Design Execution

Replaced the collage-heavy layout with a clean, modular structure that emphasizes discoverability and clarity
Elevated community stories and local partnerships to the forefront of the website
Simplified navigation and introduced visual consistency across pages

RESULTS

By simplifying the visual identity and digital experience, QUOTN’s brand became more refined and accessible, appealing to both existing feminist supporters and a new, global audience. The redesign maintained the brand's raw authenticity while giving it room to grow into new directions.

NEXT STEPS

QUOTN is recognized within their communities and spreading all across Berlin. They are currently taking new directions and have yet to implement them.

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