The Client

Leilon Home is an ethically sourced, globally curated homeware shoppe with a passion for unearthing the stories behind the makers. Leilon’s mission is to support master artisans from corners of the world by blending modern spaces with generational craftsmanship – creating intentional living that not only celebrates diverse cultural traditions, but empowers the hands that created it.

The Brief

Create a brand identity and message that reflects the heart, resilience, and strength of the local craftsmen and refugees they support while embodying a sense of quality, comfort, and culture that their products and living spaces hold.

The two sisters and founders of Leilon, Najma and Hafsa, were born in Somalia, raised in Kenya, and are first generation immigrants now residing in the US. After hearing about their story and how they passionately described the diverse terrains of their first home, we were deeply inspired by their Somalian heritage and wanted to somehow honor those roots in the visuals. We fused together muted coastal hues and desert tones to create a natural, raw feel directly inspired by the Somalian landscapes.

Leilon is constantly inspired by faraway places, the resolute journey of local craftsmen, and refugee women they support alike. They believe that a home is a reflection of its owner’s personal journey and aim to create authentic atmospheres filled with intentionality, inspiration, and heart.

To embody the idea of movement, we landed on a stylized “L” created from one singular stroke – holding twists and turns along with a start and end point to evoke the idea of a journey.

The titled “O” in the primary wordmark not only deepens the idea of forward movement and opportunity, but represents the idea of beautiful imperfections of life’s journey and the handmade products themselves.

We pulled inspiration from traditional African textiles, Somalian landscapes, and the journey of the local makers themselves, to create a visual narrative that feels authentic, welcoming, and empowering. Supporting design elements and pattern work derived from the primary icon create abstract, geometric patterns and organic, imperfect line work, resulting in a modern take on traditional Kenyan design.

To ultimately convey an untamed comfort and relaxed sense of luxury, we merged refined, artistic solutions with earthy elements. Sophisticated typography and elevated design touches position the brand as a source of premium materials and authentic design – while the roughened textures and rugged linework evoke a nomadic, welcoming touch rooted in strength and soul.

Leilon finds hope in new beginnings, strength in support, and beauty in the imperfections. Our approach was to honor those ideas in an artistic, authentic way – creating a brand narrative that can act as a vessel to continuously empower artisans and refugee women across the world, one home at a time.