Windham Designs

Frugal Backpacker, located in Asheville, North Carolina, is a provider of discounted outdoor gear and apparel. The owners of Frugal Backpacker contracted Windham Designs to rejuvenate and rebrand the store with a new identity. They had added competition with the opening of a major REI store and felt improving the company’s image would help them weather the storm.

Branding • Marketing • Sales

Logo Design • Catalog Design • Sales Collateral • Merchandising • Point-of-Sale • Website Design • Lifestyle Photography

The word “Frugal” in Frugal Backpacker was our main directive in our creative. We didn’t want to glamorize our image. Instead, we strategically limited our color palette on all of our marketing initiatives to mimic our strength: the best discounted outdoor products. We kept the “Frugal” blue color to retain its equity and accentuated the logo by pairing it with black and white imagery. By retaining the already recognized and trusted “Frugal” blue and matching it with black and white imagery, we developed a low-budget appearance to match our brand positioning.

The logo mark uses the “F“ to symbolize the mountains of Western North Carolina. After all, these mountains make Asheville a hotbed for the outdoor activities and adventures that Frugal Backpacker supports.

The next development was the successful tagline, SPEND LESS, PLAY MORE. This encompassed all the elements of the brand message and became the core of our marketing initiatives.

We positioned Frugal Backpacker as the best resource for discounted high-end outdoor technical gear, footwear, and soft goods. Budget-minded consumers would flock to Frugal Backpacker for the promotions and opportunities, in what we termed the “FRUGAL FRENZY.”

From there, we were consistent in using the brand message and design throughout all of our marketing strategies and initiatives. Whether it was the website design, in-store signage, event promotion, merchandising, advertising, or public relations, the message always promoted the sports, activities, and unique opportunities that Frugal provides … for less.

Frugal Backpacker not only survived the impact of having a massive REI open in their backyard, but they also continued to grow and expand in the community — maintaining their position as Asheville’s #1 discount outdoor gear provider.