Building a Quirky, Ethically-Sourced Brand
OPE Running was born from a desire for ethically and sustainably-made running apparel that doesn't compromise on style and fun. Founders Savannah and Dallas combined their passions to create OPE. Savannah's background is in apparel, previously a seamstress for a local designer, while designing and sewing as much as she could in her free time. Dallas is an avid runner with a deep love for the sport.
All of the garments are made by Savannah in their St. Paul, Minnesota studio with care and attention to detail.
Art Direction
Art directing this project was specifically fun because the brand itself resembles the OPE team and their style quite a bit. Dallas and Savannah are fun, quirky, very Scandinavian, eccentric and colorful. My husband Caleb Schmitt and I pulled visual inspiration from typefaces that have an interesting balance of weight, expressive line illustrations, 90’s athletic photography, and vintage Norwegian screen printing to create a direction that felt like OPE.
Branding
After multiple revisions and tweaks, we finalized the branding for OPE, which included custom logotype, a peppy primary color palette, and supporting graphic elements such as line illustrations and sub-brand wordmarks.
Logo
Secondary Logo
Color Palette
Color Application
Supporting Graphic Elements
Photography
The OPE team had a clear vision for what they wanted their photos to look like. We made a trip out to Los Angeles, California in early March to capture the apparel in a sunny climate (the snow on the ground in Minnesota didn’t yield a great backdrop for this project). We chose locations with strong lines and colors that would accentuate the product, such as various train stops, highway overpasses, and the UCLA track.
Credits
OPE Team Savannah Erdahl & Dallas Erdahl
Art Direction & Branding Caleb Schmitt & Kailey Schmitt
Photography Kailey Schmitt