In my continuing series of “new to you” design postings (please do bear with me… I’m catching up on about 9 months of work!), I’m very excited to showcase Darbi G. Photography. Darbi is a wedding, lifestyle and boudoir (ooo la la!) photographer based in Kansas City, MO. She’s a little bit sassy, a lot energetic and tons of fun to have as a client.

What was she looking for in her new visual identity?

“I want viewers to see my logo/brand and feel the vibe that I am a photographer who likes to connect with my clients beyond the camera. I want them to get dreamy when they think about their wedding images, yet I don’t want them to expect traditional imagery. I want them to feel comfortable just being themselves, even if that means their kids will stick their tongues out at me. I want them to see my brand and immediately feel warmth, but not cutesy warmth. I want them to get all excited envisioning what pictures I can take of THEM. I love pretty packaging…and I think that can speak volumes rather than just a generic disc encasing.”

With that as a starting point, we began by re-working her logo. Darbi knew she wanted to keep the main typeface the same (it’s Garamond – who wouldn’t want to keep it??) and she loved her colour palette of blue, white, red and black… but other than that, she was looking for something a lot fresher, a lot sassier and a design not based on her intials (and I totally agreed). Here’s the before and after:

The first thing we addressed was her icon. She wanted a graphic treatment that would allow her to use the icon (and its elements) as design features in her marketing materials. We went with an oval shape (round = connection and openness; the oval says “a little out of the ordinary”) and a floral-ish graphic that feels 50% retro and 50% feminine. And those little dots inside the petals? Reminiscent of peas in a pod, no? Just like Darbi and her clients! Putting her company name in black with red dots ensures it stands out even with that pretty icon attracting the eye.

Next we worked on her business cards.

You can see how we mixed up the design elements of her visual identity.

Here is here blog before:

and after:

[ See the difference more highly saturated colours can make? Suddenly everything pops! So much more "Darbi G." ]

We also did two brochures. The first is the wedding brochure… sassy, yes, but still a little romantic.

This is her lifestyle brochure. We used the elements of her visual identity in a different way… a little more unisex in appeal. But still unmistakeably Darbi G.

And finally, we did up some notecards that she can use for that personal touch.

Thanks, Darbi, for the opportunity to work with you on your new look. It was such a great project!