Primates Incorporated’s mission is to improve the quality of life for monkeys by retiring them from research facilities, private ownerships, and the entertainment industry. Therefore, they have built an indoor/outdoor sanctuary near Westfield, Wisconsin, and were in need of a new visual identity and website, in order to promote their cause, educate the public, and raise funds.
Aware of the previous life these monkeys had, my goal was to create the exact opposite experience through images and words — a safe, comfortable, friendly, and delicious sanctuary. So one afternoon while brainstorming this project, I was feeding my cat an extra sloppy bowl of canned cat food. Upon hearing him eat, I thought to myself, “Mmm, lip smackin’ good!”. I’ve always enjoyed that phrase, and so was happy to learn that “lip smacking”, (while typically used in reference to good food) is also the way monkeys show affection toward each other. A eureka moment, for sure.
So this idea was extended into a fun illustration and design, for the grand opening of the sanctuary in June 2019. The concept was inspired by vintage cereal box design; and using a nutritional facts panel on the flip side of shirts and totes, helps reinforce the cereal theme and is a fun way to communicate more uplifting information.
