Lemon Appeal

When the founders of Lemon Appeal approached Poppins, they arrived with an irrepressible energy, a deep love for southern Italy and a mission to celebrate and protect the region’s artisanal traditions.

At the centre of the project was the Sfusato lemon, a symbol of craftsmanship, heritage and generational knowledge passed between growers, makers and families across the Amalfi Coast. Our role was to help transform that passion into a brand capable of growing far beyond a single product category, while remaining emotionally rooted in the culture and people that inspired it.

The strategic challenge was twofold: to create a brand that felt premium enough to sit within the luxury lifestyle space, while retaining the warmth, playfulness and sense of wonder that sat at the heart of the founders’ story.

We developed a complete brand world spanning strategy, naming, identity, tone of voice, digital experience and art direction.

Visually, the identity blends Italian heritage with contemporary luxury. Typography draws on vintage Italian signage and editorial print layouts, while a suite of hand-drawn lemon illustrations introduces a more playful and human quality throughout the system.

Our hero art direction celebrated the lemon at every stage of life, dramatically styled against black backdrops inspired by Renaissance paintings. Alongside this, we travelled to Amalfi with the founders to document the artisans, farmers and landscapes that define the region — creating a visual language that felt less like commercial photography and more like a postcard from southern Italy.

Importantly, the brand system was designed to be flexible enough to support future expansion across categories, experiences and collaborations while maintaining a consistent emotional identity.

The result is a brand that feels both luxurious and joyful, balancing modern premium aesthetics with warmth, storytelling and cultural authenticity.

More than a visual identity, Lemon Appeal became a platform to celebrate craftsmanship, preserve tradition and share the unique sensibilities of southern Italy with a global audience.