Founded in Ibiza 2009, Dancing Leopard is a women’s clothing brand inspired by all things exotic and tropical. With a flare for combining vibrant prints with flowing fabrics, their colourful collections are designed for the free-spirited and made fit for Balearic summers. With a strong online presence, Dancing Leopard is now sold around the globe from London to Goa, Dubai and Switzerland.

Founder Jade Hildreth and Sarah Seaton (a freelance digital consultant) approached me to give the visual identity a full overhaul. The leopard is one of the most beautiful, exotic and graceful animals in the wild — and the Dancing Leopard brand needed to embody this personality; from beach to club and from dusk till dawn. We introduced a delicate nude colour that wouldn’t distract (or clash!) with the brand’s ever changing seasonal collections. To contrast the feminine palette we designed a strong and confident sans serif logo.

Inspired by glistening Ibizan sunsets, we used copper as an accent — a texture on screen or foil block in print. Aqua and azure make up the secondary palette — so bright and energetic they’re used across social media and print where we can be more playful in application. I created a pattern library for the brand; a palm — well known for it’s tropical rainforest climes, abstract mountains (or triangles, whichever way you look at it!) and curvaceous sea waves. Each illustration was hand drawn and designed on a seamless grid.

Designed by Claire Hartley
Photography by Fork & Dram