At Buenaventura, we believe in creativity and design as a means of social transformation. Equally, we believe, trust, and especially enjoy when we have the opportunity to work on design projects that generate a positive impact for the community. In this regard, Loxa is a magnificent example. A cooperative that functions as a social network, generating resources by and for society.
Design challenge: creating a flexible, unique identity connecting with tradition.
Historical Narrative in Connection with the Land
At Buenaventura, we had two clear objectives in terms of design. Firstly, we knew we had to avoid the classic and clichéd standards of everything in the oversaturated universe of olive oil. Secondly, we wanted to showcase the historical legacy of over 60 years of Loxa’s trajectory.
We immediately realized that it was necessary to move away from typical symbols. Loxa deserved to have its own, unique, and inimitable visual system. And the key to achieving this lay before our eyes. We simply had to tell Loxa’s own narrative and connect it with the natural environment of the land.
We delved into the cooperative’s archives. We dug into the roots of Loxa’s inception, leading us to a 1958 archival photograph. In it, we discovered a mural work on the facade of the building, where magnificent lettering read: “COOPERATIVA SAN ISIDRO”.
That typography, anonymous and inspired by Art Deco, had a unique presence. Its solid and elegant forms undoubtedly could bring the authenticity we wanted for the brand. At the same time, that visual legacy connected with the origins of Loxa’s history.
The discovery was a gift. Now, we had to find a way to reclaim that beautiful typography for the brand.
Typographical Recovery: A Journey through Time
Journeys are always more enriching when you have good companions with whom to share experiences. The same applies in design. To undertake our journey towards typographical recovery, at Buenaventura, we enlisted Ana Moliz, a graphic designer and typography expert who is a regular collaborator.
She was tasked with creating a complete alphabet for the brand. To do this, Ana conducted thorough research. There was no data available about who developed that lettering or what typeface it was. Therefore, we had to find another way. For instance, Ana Moliz explored possible typographical references from that era to try to determine those that the artist who created the lettering could have been inspired by.
Thus, she began working on the typography. Analyzing the strokes, defining the features, applying metrics to find balance and harmony, searching for modularity and geometry… Step by step, the development of the font was taking shape and balance. A meticulous work of research and line refinement, until we saw that besides having a brand, we had a system with which to express Loxa’s roots.
Brand Duality: Play of Associated Typefaces
Loxa is the result of duality. On one hand, there is the brand. On the other, there are the families that make up the cooperative. The visual narrative had to highlight this duality. To achieve this, we sought an associated typeface that would contrast with the Art Deco airs of the Loxa typography.
In this context, we found in the Ivar family the perfect complement to Loxa. Ivar has a solid construction, is elegant, and connects with the text weights of the mid-20th century. Ivar’s Roman strokes, together with Loxa’s sans serif font, expressed a sophisticated and contemporary balance.
This typographical play allowed us to apply a logical and coherent system in different communications. For us, this factor was of great importance, as we had the basis to apply brand architecture.
Natural Chromatism: 1958, Our History in Color
If you have ever had the opportunity to travel through the landscapes of the Poniente Granadino, among its olive fields, farmland, and holm oak forests, surely, their colors will never escape your memories. Greens, browns, blues. That connection with nature and with a past that was always in color undoubtedly presented itself as the perfect basis on which to anchor Loxa’s story graphically, alongside its unique typography.
In an exercise of synthesis, at Buenaventura, we chose those elements of the Andalusian countryside’s nature to describe our landscape chromatically and create our own color code; a palette that could also grow according to the range’s needs.
Thus, Loxa’s color palette takes the colors of that landscape to transform them into a flexible and dynamic visual system. A unique and symbolic play of color that connects with nature.
A Natural Process as Concept: Envero, a Chromatic Process
Extra virgin olive oil obtained exclusively at the beginning of each harvest, when the olives are still green but beginning the ripening process, what is called “envero”. Extracted completely cold with mechanical procedures immediately after harvesting and packaged “on the branch” after its settling and meticulous thinning, we achieve an excellent natural juice. From this respectful process arises Loxa Envero. We focused on the three main colors of the ripening process (green, purple, and black) to encode the 3 products of the range (organic, hojiblanca and picual). As a clear tribute to the olive tree and to structure the range, we used illustrations by Vanesa Zafra to represent the tree without fruit, which goes inside.
When we look at the entire project as a whole, we discover that Loxa is not just a logo. The brand is a combination of many factors that enrich this visual system, giving it a unique and inimitable character.
Loxa is a language with broad formal coherence, flexible and adaptable to various formats, utilizing the codes of the field and preserving its historical legacy from its roots.
From the Buenaventura team, we want to emphasize the importance of this project to us. It is an immense pleasure to see how Loxa’s visual identity grows across a wide range of products and aligns with the foundational principles of this cooperative. This is not just a brand identity project. It is a fusion of design, culture, nature, and business as part of the vast network that is Loxa. A social network, generating resources by and for society.
