Design Dept® studio reimagines artificial botanicals as design objects — The Brand Identity – Home of the Greatest in Graphic & Brand Design
Artificial plants have long occupied an uncomfortable space in design culture. Dismissed as cheap stand-ins for the real thing, they’ve been relegated to patio corners and seasonal displays, their plastic leaves and garish hues announcing their inauthenticity from across a room. But water restrictions, demanding pets and the realities of modern living have created space for a different conversation about synthetic greenery. Fauxliage has emerged to fill that gap, asking what artificial botanicals might become if designed with the same intention as any other object meant to inhabit a carefully considered interior.
Los Angeles-based Design Dept® studio approached the project as an exercise in repositioning an entire category. “Artificial plants often feel disposable and decorative rather than designed,” explains Ali Martín Carrillo Filsoof, Founder & Creative Director. “Our task was to build a brand that signals credibility, realism and intention. We focused on clarity, restraint and a system that positioned these botanicals as enduring design objects.”
The logomark draws from Art Nouveau tile design, translating that period’s characteristic fluidity into contemporary geometry. Organic forms curve and flow within a square or rectangular frame, the enclosure serving as a subtle reference to the architectural spaces these botanicals will occupy. “Art Nouveau tile work gave us a way to express natural fluidity through controlled form,” Filsoof notes. “Fauxliage needed something organic, but not literal. The period’s focus on rhythm and curvature felt aligned with how plants grow.” That balance of movement and structure becomes the visual anchor for the entire system, setting a tone that feels intentional without being rigid.
The customised logotype builds on VJ Type’s Kobe, with every letter reshaped to create a typographic voice specific to the brand. “We created it because existing typefaces could not deliver the structure and clarity the brand needed,” Filsoof shares. The team lowered the crossbars across the letterforms, introducing a contemporary Art Deco quality that reinforces the architectural sensibility established by the logomark. This detailed customisation creates proportion and rhythm that feels distinctly Fauxliage, giving the wordmark recognisable character while maintaining the design-led tone central to the brand’s positioning.
GT Alpina Thin and Thin Italic handle display typography, their refined structure and gentle contrast supporting the elevated aesthetic without competing for attention. For body copy, Zapf Humanist 601 brings warmth through its organic, calligraphic influence. “Zapf Humanist 601 added a warm, humanist quality, keeping communication clear and approachable across consumer and commercial touchpoints,” Filsoof explains. Together, the typefaces create a system that balances sophistication with accessibility, establishing credibility while remaining genuinely welcoming.
The colour palette anchors the identity in permanence and renewal. Deep evergreen, forest and ivory provide timeless grounding, while lilac, blush, citrus and garden green inject optimism and freshness. This interplay speaks directly to Fauxliage’s central proposition – botanicals designed to endure without the cycles of growth and decay that govern living plants.
Oversized botanical illustrations extend the logomark’s approach across touchpoints, their dramatic scale emphasising silhouette and movement over decorative detail. Each form uses simplified geometry and rhythmic line work that mirrors the logo’s structure, maintaining visual consistency while creating striking graphic moments. “The organic theme is framed by a rectangle that subtly references the architectural spaces where the plants live, and that structure carries through the illustrations,” Filsoof notes. “This gives Fauxliage a distinct graphic voice and separates it from traditional floral brands that rely on literal, hyper-detailed imagery.”
The artificial plant industry has operated largely without design ambition. “Most brands use generic serif typefaces and transactional logos, lacking personality or vision,” Filsoof observes. “Their visual language is empty. We saw that void as our opportunity.” Where competitors lean on conventional floral imagery and straightforward product photography, Fauxliage stakes out territory through restraint and confidence. The brand messaging reflects this positioning through language that feels clean and gently playful. Lines like “Life-like botanicals for modern living” and “Blooms for Life” establish refinement without preciousness, warmth without casualness.