Timber Market™ How do you transforming felled trees into precious timber?

When the founder of Timber Market approached us with his compelling proposition, we knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity to get involved.

Having worked in the timber trade himself, he had become aware of a huge problem in the industry. When tree surgeons fell trees, more often than not, the resulting timber gets thrown straight into a wood chipper. This means sizeable, ancient trees are being wasted purely due to a lack of connection between tree surgeons, sawmills, and other necessary timber service providers.

His response was to build a platform to connect all members of the timber supply chain, from artisans and craftspeople to tree surgeons. The marketplace feature on the site would even allow users to post trees that need to be felled, enabling tradespeople to estimate their value and potentially make a profit on removal.

It was an incredible idea, one that deserved a look and feel to help it get noticed. And that's where Function & Form came in. We created a complete brand identity for Timber Market, starting with a holding page to generate initial interest and traction while we helped him build the web app itself.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding, we were unable to continue working with Timber Market. The website is no longer maintained by Function & Form and has since fallen into a state of disrepair.

London, UK / 2018

Promoting reusability and artisanal craftsmanship

A chiselled icon with a humbling presence

After a number of iterations, we landed on a logotype comprised of a Penrose Triangle to represent reusability, with a chunky, 'wood chisel like' typeface for handmade charm. This black logotype was then paired with rich, natural timber shades to bring warmth. Finally, a timber grain brand element was introduced to elevate branded collateral further.

Timber Market Illustrations by Function & Form

Romanticising the narrative

With a socially conscious cause grounding the company, we turned to illustration to romanticise the story and help colour the brand's story.

Timer Market Tree illustration by Function & Form

Timer Market logging illustration by Function & Form

Timer Market carpentry illustration by Function & Form

Simplifying a complex onboarding process

Conditional forms

When a user isn't logged in, the website appears as a marketing website to promote the brand. But when users opt to login, it becomes a content-rich marketplace to browse and post trees or timber.

To keep the process as simple as possible, we setup conditional forms that adapt depending on your selection.