Hayley Lim’s StillBitter Lemonade Co. demonstrates how personal and philanthropic brands can be

Dripping with a distinct and unapologetic attitude, the identity for StillBitter Lemonade Co. from Montreal-based designer and art director Hayley Lim is a model for how personal experiences can be the thriving, driving force behind a brand. Inspired by the founder’s sour, unhealthy prior relationships and her history of heartbreak and toxicity, StillBitter Lemonade Co. sought to use this story to demonstrate the personality a brand could inhabit, a tone similarly reflected through the drink’s ultra-bitter, zero-sugar experience.

Working meticulously across the brand’s creative direction, design and copywriting, Lim embraced the power of interconnecting voice with visuals to deliver an intense yet relatable message that captures StillBitter Lemonade Co.’s raw emotional core. Aesthetically this intensity was built typographically through Type Department and Bouk Ra’s Faust and Oldschool Grotesk from Kilotype, creating a compelling juxtaposition between sharp and tall letterforms that not only captures the brand’s tone of voice but encourages imagery of contrast and conflict. 

Whilst striking and dramatic, the candid, unadorned photographic direction and binary use of colour also help shape an encouraging message that encourages women to tell their stories in an effort to process trauma, relating to the founder’s experiences. With that in mind, the brand’s launch event – titled Lemon-Aid – was created to celebrate the passing of hard times and to turn negative experiences into positive ones, with all profits being donated to the women’s assistance and shelter organisation Le Chaînon.

Hayley Lim