Brand Template System
+20% revenue
Leading growth
Key Challenges
- Preserved brand identity after acquisition by Footway Group
- Created template system for CMS, newsletter, and Instagram
- Enabled daily content production with zero design corrections
The Problem
Caliroots was acquired by Footway Group and migrated from its original platform to Footway's native system. In the transition, the brand's distinctive identity wasn't being communicated correctly. There was a real risk of diluting a beloved streetwear brand. I was brought in specifically to ensure the Caliroots brand DNA survived the acquisition.
Process & Research
Started with an internal brand audit alongside the original Caliroots founder to understand what made the brand special. Conducted stakeholder interviews across the organization to map how content was being created and where inconsistencies crept in. Deep-dived into the existing UI to identify what was working and what had been lost in the platform migration.
The Solution
Designed a comprehensive template system in Figma covering all key touchpoints:
• **CMS Homepage** — Modular templates for hero banners, product grids, and editorial sections
• **Newsletter** — Consistent email templates maintaining brand voice and visual style
• **Instagram** — Post and Story templates with proper settings anyone on the team could use
The goal was empowerment: any team member could produce on-brand content without design oversight. Built clear guidelines into the Figma files themselves so the system was self-documenting.
• **CMS Homepage** — Modular templates for hero banners, product grids, and editorial sections
• **Newsletter** — Consistent email templates maintaining brand voice and visual style
• **Instagram** — Post and Story templates with proper settings anyone on the team could use
The goal was empowerment: any team member could produce on-brand content without design oversight. Built clear guidelines into the Figma files themselves so the system was self-documenting.
Results & Impact
The template system transformed content operations:
• **Revenue increased ~20%** with consistent brand presentation
• **Caliroots became the leading growth sub-brand** within Footway Group
• **Content capacity exploded** — from struggling to keep up, to producing a new page weekly and daily Instagram content (posts + stories) effortlessly
• **Design corrections dropped to zero** — the templates were foolproof
• **100% team adoption** — everyone from social media to marketing used the system
• **Revenue increased ~20%** with consistent brand presentation
• **Caliroots became the leading growth sub-brand** within Footway Group
• **Content capacity exploded** — from struggling to keep up, to producing a new page weekly and daily Instagram content (posts + stories) effortlessly
• **Design corrections dropped to zero** — the templates were foolproof
• **100% team adoption** — everyone from social media to marketing used the system
Reflection
This project taught me that brand preservation isn't about rigid control—it's about creating systems that make the right choice the easy choice. By embedding brand decisions into the templates themselves, we removed the need for constant oversight. The founder's involvement in the audit was crucial; without that direct connection to the brand's origins, we might have preserved the wrong things. Post-acquisition brand work requires both respect for what made the brand special and pragmatism about the new operational reality.