POKA GORIT

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>_01 / PROJECT_FILE

CLIENT: POKA GORIT

INDUSTRY: CANDLES / LIFESTYLE

TIMELINE: MAY — JUN 2026

MY ROLE: ART DIRECTOR / LEAD DESIGNER

TEAM: GRAPHIC DESIGNER

I LED:

PROJECT / CREATIVE DIRECTION / CLIENT COMMUNICATION / DESIGNER DIRECTION

I DESIGNED:

CORE CONCEPT / VISUAL DIRECTION / SYSTEM LOGIC

BRAND IDENTITY / VISUAL SYSTEM / BRANDBOOK

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> THE BRAND WAS ALREADY THERE. THE IDENTITY WASN’T.

Poka Gorit was already a working candle brand with a name, a product and a clear idea of how it should feel. What it didn’t have was a visual identity to bring everything together.

The task was to build a complete identity — from logo and color to mascot and brand guidelines.

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The client knew exactly how the brand should feel — warm, atmospheric, a little strange and full of character. What she didn’t have was a visual direction for it yet. My job was to turn that feeling into a design system.

> OLD MONEY / THE BASE

I saw old money as the foundation — refined colors, atmospheric photography and a sense of timeless elegance.

TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN

— CLIENT / POKA GORIT

“You got exactly what we wanted. After the very first call, it was already clear that you understood the direction perfectly.”

THE VISUAL BRIEF:

“DOPAMINE OLD MONEY.”

> DOPAMINE / THE ENERGY

Dopamine brought the contrast — brighter accents, playful characters and unexpected typography.

> FINDING THE CONNECTION

I started looking for references where both could exist together — elegant but playful, atmospheric but unexpected. That intersection became the moodboard for the identity.

CANDLE

FLAME

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> THE BRAND NEEDEDA CHARACTER.

The client already had beautiful, atmospheric photography, which naturally carried the old money side of the brand. We built the palette around the same feeling — deep, refined base colors with brighter dopamine accents.

> MASCOT EXPLORATION

Working with the graphic designer, I explored different characters and directed the search until we narrowed it down to two strong options.

The client loved both. I recommended the one that could do more than work as a logo — it could live on its own, show different emotions and become a recurring character across the brand.

But the identity still needed more energy. We wanted something expressive, playful and a little funky to bring more dopamine into the system. That led us to a mascot-based logo.

TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN

— CLIENT / POKA GORIT

“The mascot got the strongest reaction — and it was extremely positive.”

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> WE NEEDED THE COLORS TO CHANGE WITHOUT LOSING THE BRAND.

> BUILDING THE CORE

> MAKING IT FLEXIBLE

Color became one of the most complex parts of the identity. I chose five colors that balanced the old money base with brighter dopamine accents. But the palette also had to work across different collections and seasonal products — so from the start, we were designing not just a palette, but a system that could change.

Working with the graphic designer, we refined the five core colors into calculated relationships and built a rule for generating new palettes from them. Instead of choosing seasonal colors from scratch, the entire palette shifts together around the color wheel — changing its mood while preserving the relationships that make it feel like the same brand.

THE VIBE BECAME

A BRAND SYSTEM.

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> RESULT

> TYPOGRAPHY:

Gogol + Neris

> BRAND APPLICATIONS:

> COLORS:

The final identity was delivered as a complete 48-page brand guide — covering the logo, color system, typography, mascot, patterns, social media and physical brand applications.

> PROJECT_03 COMPLETE.

CLIENT

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

#FFF2E8

#FF7612

#FF8BA0

#2E181B

#581522

TRANSLATED FROM RUSSIAN

— POKA GORIT

“We’re already using everything we received.”