An offering of American AgCredit, Farm Credit Services of America, and Frontier Farm Credit, Terrain is an agronomic publication that delivers exclusive insight and confident forecasting for farmers across the country. Terrain’s expert analysts distill vast amounts of data to provide thought leadership, market intelligence, and informed outlooks across all sectors of the agricultural economy, from Iowa corn farmers to Napa Valley wine-grape growers.
Designed at Paradowski Creative
Services Provided
Brand Strategy
Naming
Brand Identity
Website Design Publication Design
The Lay of the Land
The world that agriculture businesses are navigating has become increasingly complicated and complex. How do interest rates impact the cost of grain storage? What are the risks and opportunities of transitioning an operation to green energy? How might labor availability in rural America influence the next harvest season? These are questions many farmers are not adequately equipped for. So when American AgCredit, Farm Credit Services of America, and Frontier Farm Credit, came to us in 2022 with a plan to guide and advise their customers through these economic hurdles, we immediately saw the value.
During the discovery and naming phases of the project, it was clear that expressing the deep understanding of expert analysts was integral to the brand’s identity, but this wasn’t a group of spreadsheet fanatics. Terrain’s analysts were trusted veterans of the industry. They might spend a great deal of time in front of a keyboard, but they still have mud on their boots. How can that be communicated in the form of a symbol? What would it look like to apply an analytical lens to the view from a farmer’s back porch?
Surveying the Field
Following a comprehensive conceptual phase, we created a brand identity rooted in the land Terrain’s analysts study — that adapts and responds to changing conditions the same way farmers tailor their approach to meet new economic challenges. The logo framework extended into a robust brand color palette and icon system, made to measure for Terrain’s diverse content offerings.
Typographically, we wanted the brand to feel exacting yet earthy and editorial, so we balanced the scale with the unadorned Aktiv Grotesk from Dalton Maag and the tweedy serif Turnip from DJR.
To better understand Terrain’s brand promise, we ran workshops and conducted interviews with key stakeholders. With a deep understanding of the industries they serve, the Terrain team of economists and analysts are committed to speaking in the language of the folks they serve and providing a bridge between academic research and the industry. We developed extensive brand guidelines to direct consistent usage and articulate these core beliefs and strategic positions.
