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Category Archive: visual identity
I have some new work to share with you today and, as usual, I am excited to do so! Sarah Briese is the delightful photographer behind Sarahendipity Photography. Based, in Lee’s Summit, MO, Sarah specializes in fun, affordable photography for all the moments of your life. Sarah’s worked with Rachel of Serendipity Photography (hmmm… see the inspiration for her name?) for some time, but also wants to do some work on her own. She came to me to help develop a separate identity for her photography. And so Sarahendipity Photography was born.
What was she looking for in a visual identity and marketing materials? I’ll let her tell you… “I need something bright, but still professional enough that brides would look to me for weddings. Serendipity describes me to a ‘T.’ Making it Sarahendipity just screams ME. Fun, personal, and descriptive.”
We needed to make sure that her new look would appeal to her client base. “I am drawn to people that like to be themselves and have that side of them captured in photos. I love to have a good time and love a client that loves to do that too. Whether it be engagements, wedding, family or children. I like to see the real person and capture that in photos.”
The visual identity we developed captures Sarah’s desire for something fun, fresh and unpretentious.
The type is dynamic, but the elegant typography (that’s Bodoni, folks) tempers it a bit. Really fresh colours inspired by Spring, and a heart-based icon that is both floral and four-leaf-cloverish add to the heartfelt feeling of the logo.
Using the elements of the identity, we designed some business cards (Sarah couldn’t choose, so she opted for two looks):
Some DVD packaging:
and a pricing guide:
Sarah’s old blog was a bit dark and dreary and just didn’t really reflect her sunny, bubbly personality:
So we gave it a fresh new face. So much better, don’t you think?
Sarah – thanks so much for the opportunity to help you bring Sarahendipity to life. It was such a pleasure working with you …. and I know you’ll have lots of success in your new venture!
I’m so, so excited to introduce you to Banana Abby! Is she not just the cutest little basset hound you’ve ever seen? Josh + Jenny Solar and their kids sure think so; that’s why they adopted her into their family and named their latest photography venture in her honour (Josh decided earlier this year that his wonderful dog photography needed a home of its own). I was so pleased when they asked me to work with them on Banana Abby’s visual identity and marketing materials. We worked together on the refresh of Solar Photographers (you can see that post here) and it’s such a compliment to get repeat work from a client.
OK, enough talk… let’s get to some show and tell. When I asked Josh what he was looking for in a visual identity for this new venture, he told me he wanted something very simple, very un-cluttered — something where the focus could be on the dog. He wanted it to be a little fun (no surprise there… the Solars are all about fun!), joyful and also to express the bond that dogs and humans share.
Here’s what we developed:
The star of this show is clearly the dog – and a well-loved dog at that. We’ve got some subtle heart shapes in the nose and tongue to reinforce the emotional bond between dogs and their people. And we’ve chosen a joyful yellow to give the mark some energy. Classic typefaces help keep the look classy, not kitschy.
For the watermark, we re-assembled the elements into a circular shape that’s easy to place regardless of the image (that’s Josh with the real life Banana Abby, snapped by Jenny):
For business cards, we developed a fun pattern featuring four essential doggy components: bones, balls, fire hydrants and dog houses:
We used that pattern and its elements in the website design (and if you visit the Banana Abby site you’ll see Banana Abby has a little animation going on… very cute!):
Finally we developed a pricing guide, which kind of pulls all the design elements into once place:
In keeping with the Solars’ commitment to give back, 10% of the proceeds from Banana Abby photo sessions will be donated to Wayside Waifs, the animal shelter that was once Banana Abby’s home (and where Josh volunteers to photograph animals for adoption).
This was such a fun project — thanks to Josh and Jenny for the opportunity to help bring Banana Abby to life!
Form & Function designs and builds furniture for keeps. Located in my hometown — Vancouver, BC — this retail operation is masterminded by Jack and Susan McCullough. Jack looks after operations and Susan is an incredibly talented designer.
When they contacted me, about a year had gone by after they had lost much of their inventory in a devastating fire. But – they had re-located, re-built and were ready for a visual identity re-fresh! We started off by taking a hard look at their logo. Here’s what they had been using:
And you know, it wasn’t terrible. But it was completely lacking in the qualities they wanted their brand to communicate: custom design, fine manufacturing and style! So we spent some time working on type choice (we went with Bembo, Perpetua and Meta); we gave some thought to harmonious letter spacing, and we chose a colour that reflected Jack & Susan’s love of cherry wood. Here’s the final logo:
Much better! Next we tackled an update for their website. It used to look like this:
Now it looks like this:
We have plans to build it out; but for now it’s a simple landing page that is more effective at describing what they do, and how they do it.
We designed some new business cards:
And a brochure (the first one they’d had in a long, long time! And it’s a tri-fold, so imagine it folded if you please):
We also did some notepads for in-store notations:
And a suite of advertisements for Canada’s leading daily newspaper, The Globe and Mail:
Jack & Susan have been such a pleasure to work with. If you are ever looking for a beautiful piece of furniture made right here in Canada — and built to last — please do think of Form & Function. You won’t be disappointed!
I’m so excited to tell you about Julie! She’s an Omaha, Nebraska-based photographer who focuses on portraits and weddings. She’s kind of goofy, kind of introspective… and more than a little committed to expressing herself through her photography. She is also committed to helping her clients tell their stories through her images. I guess that’s why we connected so well – we both love to express ourselves visually!
When I asked Julie what she wanted in a visual identity, she told me “I want people to see I love my work, my clients… and to just see happiness. I’m a true romantic and I want them to see love. My work is my art and they allow me to speak through them.”
I always start the creative process by reading every word (and I mean every word) my clients have posted on their blogs/sites… and looking at every image. And I can tell you – Julie is not just a true romantic; she is unabashedly romantic. And that’s the theme we ran with as we developed her new look.
Here’s the logo:
Yep. Purely, unaduleratedly, unabashedly romantic (but not overly Victorian). And of course there is some symbolism in the shapes: a circle (which is all about connection and wholeness but could also give a very vague idea of a camera lens) and a feminine frame (which is bursting from the circle… the way the beauty and emotion of her clients bursts from her images). The colours are inspired by her photography: an earthy, purple-y grey and a golden tan.
Once the logo was final, we could start implementing the visual identity across a whole suite of marketing materials. Here are her biz cards (photo courtesy Julie Branyan Photography):
Her blog “before”:
And her blog now:
[BTW: Julie doesn't have a portfolio site; her blog is an all-in-one, which is a great solution for her. She uses the same ProPhoto WordPress template that many of my photographer clients use. It's great and highly customizable!]
Here is her greeting card:
and her DVD packaging (although she actually uses a square case… so Julie, if this looks a little different it’s just ’cause I had to accomodate the rectangle case of my template!):
And of course we did some brochures! One for weddings:
And one for portraits:
Julie has told me she loves her new look (you can read her thoughts on her blog, here). She has also received tons of positive feedback on the change, which is wonderful. Thank you, Julie, for letting me help you tell your story. I have so enjoyed working with you!
I have had the great pleasure of working with Rebecca at Puzzlewood for… gosh, more than 5 years now. First we worked together at Ballard Power Systems, and then when we both decided to head out on our own, she asked me to develop the visual identity for her communication consultancy, Puzzlewood Communication.
Intrigued by the name? So was I! Turns out that one of Rebecca’s favourite places in the world is the Forest of Dean. And within the Forest of Dean, you’ll find a place called Puzzlewood, which, according to Lonely Planet Britain, is “an extraordinary area with a maze of paths, eerie passageways through moss-covered rocks, hidden dead ends, weird rock formations, tangled vines and gorgeous untamed scenery. Since I’d never been there, the first I did before starting the design process was take a peek at this special place — thanks to the magic of the Interweb. Look! So pretty!
photo by Naomi Hobbs
Now, Rebecca believes that effective communication grows from the seeds of understanding who, what and why. Who are you talking to? Why are you talking to them? And what do you hope to achieve by doing so? So taking that seed idea… and thinking about the old oak stands of the company’s namesake, we developed a logo that brings it all to life:
That typeface is Gill Sans, by the way. Not just to reflect Puzzlewood’s location (the forest, not the company… and it’s in England) but also to reflect Rebecca’s own heritage (she’s British-born). Its geometricity (is that word?) gives us round shapes that are warm and welcoming (just like Rebecca). And all those straight lines reflect her “let’s cut to the chase” approach to telling it like it is. Never underestimate the power that your chosen typeface has to communicate something about the brand experience you’re trying to build!
Next we moved on to business cards, choosing to really play up that wonderful, fresh green in her colour palette:
Her letterhead is completely uncluttered so that the content can shine:
And her website projects that same open, friendly feeling:
Rebecca and I continue to work together — we both share a passion for helping organizations tell their stories effectively. We blog (along with Sarah of Light the Lamp) at See Hear Talk, and you can follow Rebecca on Twitter. too.
I’ve been working with Garnish for a while, now… the main Garnish guru is my sweet sister, Suzanne.
As Suzanne likes to say, all it takes is a little Garnish to turn every-day into extra-ordinary! Check out the shop for yourself. You’ll find plain white boxes, bamboo cutlery, pretty coloured twine… and everything in between. Suzanne also has a great blog where she shares tips and tricks and features ideas from her customers.
The whole philosophy of Garnish is simplicity mixed with modern elegance and a dash of fun. And so we designed a logo that reflects that:
Next we developed a flexible colour palette that feels elegant but also warm and welcoming, to reinforce the “personal touch” products that she sells.
And then we began developing her promotional materials. Here are her business cards:
And the promo cards she uses for general marketing:
And some similar ones, but used for marketing to brides, wedding planners and wedding venues:
Last year she supported a Covenant House fundraiser, and here’s the flyer we did for the event (doesn’t it make you want to do a home spa right now?):
Every order is packaged with a hand-written thank you note:
… and a handy wallet-sized calendar:
Thanks, Suzanne! It’s been a lot of fun being along for the ride as you develop your passion for adding a personal touch into a thriving online business.