inquirED B2B product branding

About

Inkwell is an elementary literacy curriculum that stands apart from legacy ELA products because it’s integrated, combining literacy and social studies in one curriculum.

  • Led product brand strategy and identity development for a new B2B offering, from positioning through launch-ready assets.

  • Developed the Inkwell name to signal both literacy and social studies while staying tied to inquirED and our flagship product Inquiry Journeys.

  • Defined what stayed consistent with the parent brand and what intentionally diverged to create distinction at the product level. Developed brand architecture and documentation to support implementation across the organization.

  • Designed a product-level visual system—logo, color palette, textures, and layout principles—optimized for product marketing, sales, and content.

  • Art directed the creation of custom textures and illustrations, working closely with an in-house designer.

Literacy and social studies work together as a single experience, giving the product coherence, depth, and purpose. Throughout the branding, this deep integration between the two subjects is a recurring theme.

“Inkwell” references both history and the act of writing and literacy in general. Its san serif wordmark makes it modern and approachable, connects back to the parent brand, and feels accessible for elementary students in its simplicity.

The visual system mirrors the concept of integration itself: Layered textures, connected illustrations, and color progression all suggest accumulation, depth, and coherence.

Color, type, and textures principles form a system that works everywhere, keeping the brand consistent and adaptable across print, digital, and marketing materials.

Custom, in-house illlustrations carry the textures into a playful setting and are used across product, customer experience and marketing.

Impact

The identity launched with full guidelines and a trained product design team — a system flexible enough to live alongside the parent brand while standing on its own with buyers.