Ket Baker
Brand Strategy | Customer Research |
Creative Direction | Visual Identity | Brand Voice
A rebellious baker, a brand that wasn't quite hitting the mark, and an honest second opinion. Here's how we brought Ket Baker's personality into focus.
A brand with room to grow
Some businesses have a personality that's impossible to miss. Ket Baker is one of them.
Founded by Miek Paulus on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula, Ket Baker grew from a small operation in a home garage, selling handmade sourdough at farmers markets, into an award-winning bakery with a fiercely loyal following.
And they're doing things a little differently. According to Miek, Ket Baker is one of only 10 bakeries worldwide producing a five-day fermented, 100% sourdough croissant. Five days for a croissant! That should tell you something about their commitment to the craft.
But as the business evolved, its branding wasn't quite capturing what made Ket Baker different.
What began as a request for an honest second opinion became a collaboration that brought together customer research, strategic thinking and creative direction to create an identity Miek could confidently call her own.
Getting beneath the surface
Ket Baker was never just about sourdough. Miek's commitment to traditional craftsmanship, nourishing food and her local community was matched by an outspoken, unconventional approach to doing business.
Through our discovery work, including a brand archetype exercise, we identified two personalities that captured this beautifully: the Caregiver and the Outlaw.
It was a combination I'd already suspected, and one that gave us a foundation for the creative direction.
But we also wanted to understand how customers experienced Ket Baker.
I developed and managed a customer research survey, creating the questions, analysing the responses and presenting the findings to Miek. The survey covered brand awareness, brand loyalty, products, and the customer experience both in-person and online.
Bringing those insights together with our discovery work helped us make more informed decisions about the brand's direction.
It started with a honest opinion
Miek and I had been friends for years. She knew I valued honesty and trusted my professional judgement, so when she found herself questioning the branding work she'd received from a marketing agency, she reached out.
She'd made a significant investment but wasn't connecting with the visual direction. She didn't feel understood and wondered whether her expectations were unreasonable.
With over 20 years of experience in design, branding and marketing, I could immediately see why the concepts weren't working.
There were useful elements worth retaining, but the visual identity lacked the personality, refinement and cohesion the business deserved.
Rather than starting from scratch, I saw an opportunity to build on what existed while uncovering what was missing.
Finding what was worth keeping
Ket Baker already had a visual history, and I didn't want to lose the recognition it had built.
I retained and refined elements of the existing illustrated identity, strengthening the organic shape and linework, adding Miek's distinctive glasses and simplifying her tattoos so they remained recognisable at smaller sizes and made the bakery element clearer.
The typography was refined, while a deep green and vibrant coral red brought together the bakery's connection to the natural environment and Miek's rebellious personality.
The new tagline, Wildly Nourishing, captured the essence of the Caregiver and Outlaw combination.
It expressed the care behind Ket Baker's food alongside its unconventional spirit, giving the brand a personality that could carry through its messaging and visual identity.
A brand she could finally own
The result was a cohesive brand identity supported by comprehensive guidelines covering everything from visual elements and photography to messaging, tone of voice and practical applications.
But the real value went beyond the design. The process gave Miek greater clarity and confidence in what made Ket Baker different, along with a brand she could genuinely connect with, take ownership of and continue growing.
"It has been a self discovery that kept on going. I could claim my own brand better afterwards."
Miek Paulus, Founder of Ket Baker
An identity that continues to grow
Since completing the rebrand in 2023, Ket Baker has continued to evolve, expanding beyond its Wallington bakery to open a second location in Belmont.
But there's much more to Ket Baker than its award-winning baked goods. They've continued finding creative ways to bring people together, from Paint & Pastry events to hosting Australia's first bakery doof. A pretty fitting expression of the Caregiver and Outlaw personalities we uncovered during the branding process!
And the identity has continued to grow with them.
The value of another perspective
What began as an honest second opinion became something much bigger. By recognising what was worth keeping, questioning what wasn't working and bringing different perspectives together, we created an identity that Miek could genuinely connect with and continue growing into.
And years later, the work is still doing its job.
"We never had to revisit and we are still using all the brand guidelines up till today!"
"Discovering a brand almost needs coaching, not only pure marketing.
This is what Bec is seriously good at."
For me, that's what makes this project so rewarding. It wasn't just about creating a better-looking brand, but giving Miek the clarity, confidence and tools to carry it forward.
As she put it:
If you ever find yourself down the Bellarine Peninsula or around Geelong, do yourself a favour and visit one of Ket Baker's bakeries. Go see what all the hype is about (and grab yourself some seriously good sourdough while you're there).
Check out what they’re doing on Instagram
What changes when you see differently?
Whether you're building something new or evolving what already exists, sometimes another perspective can help you recognise what's working, what's missing and where the possibilities lie.