Little Village
Discovering stories, everywhere.
Brief
Little Village Films is a full-service, artist-led film company specializing in commercials, documentaries, and branded content for purpose-driven brands. Founded on the belief that "good films can change the world," they focus on authentic storytelling around environmental and social impact causes, working with clients like Patagonia, NRDC, and Nature Conservancy. They needed a refreshed brand identity that positioned them as both a creative sanctuary and professional production partner while showcasing their unique collaborative process.
Audience
Art directors in agencies, in-house marketing teams at purpose-driven brands, and the broader creative community. Specifically targeting brands that value authentic, emotionally resonant storytelling over traditional advertising approaches.
Opportunity
Authentic storytelling was becoming increasingly rare in a saturated market where big budget superficial content reigns. While competitors operated as massive machines focused on flashy, trendy outputs, Little Village had the opportunity to position as a craft-focused alternative that reveals the beauty and depth of stories—showcasing not just the final product but the layered process of uncovering real human truths and meaningful connections. By highlighting their investigative approach to storytelling, they could demonstrate the richness and authenticity that emerges when stories are carefully discovered rather than manufactured.
Concept
Stories are everywhere, you just need to see them, wrap them, and contextualize them. Little Village approaches filmmaking as both documentary witnessing and creative alchemy—finding universal human truths in unexpected places and presenting them with radical honesty. The brand positions the company as a true "village" where ideas spark and collaborative harmony creates something greater than the sum of its parts. Rather than hiding behind smoke and mirrors, Little Village invites audiences into their creative process, showing that authentic storytelling emerges from genuine human connection and environmental stewardship.
Design
The visual identity draws from "nature journal meets documentary films"—capturing stories as they unfold in their natural habitat through field research and ethnographic documentation aesthetics. The logo itself becomes the origin point from which all stories flow, with lines emanating outward to form different village configurations. Natural earth tones balance against diagnostic blue and red overlays, while documentary photography receives investigative x-ray treatments that reveal hidden narrative layers. This approach reveals how Little Village wrangles stories from unexpected places and tells them from unique perspectives.
The logo embraces the idea that unusual connections can be found anywhere—just like Little Village's approach to discovering stories in unexpected places. It functions as an origin point, with flowing lines that shape and reshape into different "villages," each representing unique story ecosystems. The baseline shift in the typemark relates to the shifting lines originating from the logo.
Shapes transition from having rounded to square corners throughout the system, creating a unique semi-organic quality that relates back to the varied shapes found within the logo itself.
Interconnected line systems wrap around content, literally embodying the concept of wrapping stories together while suggesting the collaborative networks that form around each project. The modular nature allows the identity to adapt and evolve, creating new village formations for different contexts while maintaining visual cohesion.
The palette balances warm, natural earth tones with cooler diagnostic blues and reds. Natural background colors ground the brand in environmental authenticity, while strategic use of blue and red creates depth and suggests the investigative process of uncovering hidden narratives. This tension between organic and analytical reflects Little Village's approach of finding universal human truths through methodical storytelling craft.
Documentary-style photography maintains raw authenticity while analog film treatments add tactile warmth and imperfection. Signature x-ray-like duotone overlays create layers of discovery, suggesting stories beneath the surface. Multiple exposure techniques and textural overlays reinforce the archaeological metaphor, making each image feel like evidence collected during the storytelling expedition rather than polished final products.
