Brand building for UNcivilized:
What if masculinity wasn’t toxic?
Role
Art Direction + Graphic Design + Web Design
Credits
Book & Brand Design: Fern Breslaw
Select Videos & Photography: Ryan Conklin
The Context: What’s UNcivilized?
We’ve all read the headlines—from rampant sexual abuse to mass shootings, men are at the center of some serious issues. So where do we go from here?
That’s the question Traver Boehm aims to answer with UNcivilized—a movement dedicated to ending the suffering in men and the suffering caused by men.
Traver knows men. How they think, and what’s behind their behavior. He published his book on the topic— “Man UNcivilized” in late 2019. Then, just as he was building momentum with his book tour, COVID hit.
The Mission: What does UNcivilized need?
In order to reach people at home during lockdown, Traver needed to bring UNcivilized online—fast.
My job was to translate the essence of the book into a website, landing pages, and visuals for social media.
The real challenge? We had to reach men on the the very same screens they were scrolling to distract themselves and numb their pain. We needed to cut through the noise and grab them by the eyeballs.
The Process: From Paper To Screen
I immediately read and absorbed “Man UNcivilized”. It’s poignant stuff—Traver wants to punch men in the hearts with his writing. This idea resonated deeply with me and became my north star for the project.
I designed everything to get men to stop scrolling so they can pause, reflect, and ultimately feel something profound.
I developed a visual language of punchy type and raw imagery to use across online platforms.
UNcivilized wants to inspire men to get out of their comfort zones. To feel a call back to adventure, to face their fears, and to love deeply. To embrace their masculinity in a world that would shame them for it.
The Ethos: How To “Be A Man”
Men are typically sold one of two blueprints for manhood on the internet. They’re taught to harden themselves to become an emotionless alpha male, or soften themselves to become a gutless nice guy.
But neither of those options is a healthy model for masculinity.
UNcivilized provides men with a balanced approach to masculinity—it guides them to live their lives with power, heart, and integrity.
I was challenged to create a visual for each Ethos tenet to capture this idea across many topics. The pictures had to be rich, raw, and exciting, and fit together as a collection.
I achieved this by curating a mix of stock photos and AI-generated images (crafted with Midjourney). I applied the brand colors to unify the set.
The Website: Giving Men’s Work A Glow Up
Men’s online spaces often feel outdated and uninspired—which can be a deterrant for men who are actively looking for help.
I set out to make the UNcivilized website stand apart from the rest—accessible resources, without the cliches.
I designed it to showcase their story and product offerings in a raw and digestible way: full of bold imagery and type, to keep visitors engaged.
Welcome to UNcivilized
The homepage hero sets the brand’s tone—featuring a callback to the iconic “Man UNcivilized” book cover.
Where to start?
Men are prompted to begin their journey into men’s work through a series of curated resources.
Tools to grow
Landing pages compel men to dive in and take their learning to the next level with UNcivilized’s online courses.
Navigation: Designing For Ease Of Exploration
The UNcivilized website contains quite a lot of content. I created a comprehensive navigation system to enable users to quickly discover and access courses, coaching, podcasts, events and more.
To capture attention and keep visitors on the site, I designed every page to have lots of visual breaks.
Eye-catching images complement the written content, while contrasting typography highlights key messages.
The Brand Guide: Our Compass
A brand’s roots are important, especially as it grows.
When I came on board this project, I started by building off what already existed—Traver’s writing, and his book. But UNcivilized’s offerings were quickly expanding to cover everything from courses and coaching, to podcasts, to online community, and events.
In order to empower UNcivilized to scale more efficiently and effectively, I crafted an in-depth brand guide for the organization.
I interviewed Traver to get to the core of UNcivilized’s DNA. Together, we honed the brand voice, values, and writing style, while also clarifying the overall mission.
Internally, this helps UNcivilized operate and stay grounded as an organization. Externally, it helps establish a consistent look and feel across everything we bring into the world.
Results & Impact: IRL → URL
The website I built for UNcivilized now serves as their digital hub. It establishes the brand’s story and identity, sells their products and services, and allows them to reach more men.
The visual assets I developed capture the brand’s essence and help get the message out on social media.
Metrics: Breaking New Ground
Over the lockdown period, my work supported Traver and UNcivilized to:
- Successfully build & launch four online courses, helping men learn and grow while stuck at home
- Grow membership of their paid online community by 400%, providing more men with resources, support, and accountability
- Launch 25+ local men’s groups, increasing reach and impact in communities worldwide
One Small Step For Man, One Giant Leap For Mankind
While metrics underscore the tangible impact, the true victory is in the stories.
Stories of men turning their lives around. Men who have confronted their darkness and come out on the other side stronger, better, and kinder for it.
Men who were truly hurting. Men who were ready to call it quits.
Men who now know how to show up as fathers, as partners, as brothers, as colleagues—as humans.
It’s been an absolute privilege to contribute to such a transformative cause. I’m excited to see where UNcivilized goes from here.
Two Can Win
is a design studio based out of Montreal. Logos, brands, and websites for businesses that make the world better.
Contact
Please send an email to denise@twocanwin.xyz with a few details about your project and I’ll be in touch.
Personal Art
I make analog art using beadweaving and mixed media techniques on Instagram.
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