Kristi Hill is a wedding, lifestyle and boudoir photographer based in Greeley, Colorado. She has a photo-journalistic style with a distinct flair for the artistic! When she approached me about refreshing her visual identity and marketing materials, she had this to say:

I feel a little “mom & pop.” I feel like my current logo doesn’t encompass “weddings”, which is my primary business focus right now, it’s not feminine enough and feels a little corporate. Also, since there’s been a lack of an actual “look,” I feel like my marketing items are a little disconnected from one another. I want everything to work together as a whole, hip, but still classic, package. Also, as much as I love my Hillside box, I say that I am a creative and think outside the box, which clearly my logo does not say.

Kristi really wanted to keep the hills of her current logo, but other than that we had lots of room to work with type, colour and overall design to develop a visual identity that was much more representative of Kristi and her photography. Here’s the before and after:

Although I’ve looked at script typefaces for logos before, this is the first time that it really made sense for both me and my client. Something about the open, feminine shapes of this particular typeface really work for the message Kristi is trying to communicate: that she is a professional photographer that clients can connect with on a personal level, and who will deliver high-quality images through fun and creative photography sessions.

We kept the hills, but treated them as a layered landscape – you know those hazy days when hilly landscapes look dreamy? That’s what we were aiming for.

And the blue? Well, blue has always been Kristi’s favourite colour. So we went with it!

Once the logo was done, we developed business cards. Kristi had a hard time picking a favourite design, so she went with two: one traditional size and one square size. You can print high-quality business cards at a great price these days, which makes it easy to have options.

Next we tackled her blog. Here’s what it looked like before:

And here’s the after – fresh and open a little bit dreamy!

Kristi has a separate portfolio site from her blog, so we re-designed that, too! Here is the before:

And here is the after. That’s more like it!

(This is a customization of a CMD site template. We were able to make it completely Hillside Studios!)

Finally, we developed a brochure. Keeping with our design guidelines (fresh, open, lots of white space, emphasis on the photography) we put together a piece that really helps Kristi tell her story effectively. Here’s a peek:

How does Kristi feel about the new look? You can see her comment below!

It was such a pleasure working with Kristi – if she’s half as wonderful working with her clients as she was working with me well, her clients are in for a treat.

You can connect with Kristi through her blog, her portfolio site, on Facebook and she’s on Twitter, too!

Courtney is just starting her business, so she needs a visual identity that is going to stand the test of time. As she said to me, it needs to reflect who she is now and where she is going. So we stayed away from trends (that’s my general approach) and focused on developing a visual identity that was fresh, young and modern but sophisticated enough to appeal to, well, a sophisticated clientele.

And here’s the logo:

Now, I’m the first to say that I think the icon portion of a logo can be a lot more than initials in a circle… but in this case, that design approach just fit perfectly. Courtney is blessed with initials that take a ligature so beautifully. Look at the c-t connection! And connection is the name of the game when it comes to making images with impact. So we both felt this was a perfect solution for her logo.

The type is Futura; Courtney loved the round shapes and spare feeling of the type, and it is a great alternative to the very over-used Century Gothic that we see so much of!

Courtney specializes in three kinds of photography, so we developed a main logo (above) themed for weddings, and two secondary logos:

On the left, a spicy magenta for Courtney’s boudoir photography; on the right, a fresh green for Courtney’s seniors photography. Overall, the palette is bright and energetic and very positive.

Next we tackled Courtney’s blog. She wanted to implement a combined portfolio-blog, so ProPhoto was the way to go (their templates are just terrific, and the customization options are endless!). Here’s what it used to look like:

And here’s how it looks now:

Love that fresh blue! The blog feels so welcoming, now.

You can see it for yourself, here.

See that grad cap icon in the blog post? It’s a little hard to see, I know. We developed a set of mini-illustrations that Courtney can use in her blog posts and in her other marketing materials. There’s a little something for weddings and engagements; a little something for boudoir (spicy!); and a little something for graduation.

Once the site was done, we did some work on Courtney’s client guides. First we did a wedding version: fresh and airy and just a little bit romantic:

For Courtney’s boudoir clients, we spiced things up a bit with some punches of magenta and lots of feminine touches:

Courtney, thanks so much for letting me help you tell your story!

Jenny & I talk a lot about what mark we want to leave on this world. How can we make the world a better place? What do WE have to offer? We’ve spent many nights up late talking about just that… about what we’re passionate about. About our WHY… it always comes back to our relationships with our loved ones. The ones we’re connected to the most, each other and our kids. We live our life pretty unconventionally. Both Jenny & I are pretty much stay at home parents. When we are spending time away from our kids, it’s doing something we love, photographing couples in love and families with strong connections.

Being with our kids and doing what we love has taught us many things, but the most important is that we should be LOVING the life we’re living, and we do our best to do just that…

So, where does that leave us? With a new project, this project, which started just six short weeks ago, yet truly started six short years ago when our first child, Max, was born. It started with a tiny idea and happy music, but it also started with a much bigger idea, years ago, an idea that WE could raise a happy, loving family. An idea that WE could do things differently, that WE could have fun with our kids, that WE could live by our own rules.

So, with a name like the Happy Family Movement, it seems pretty clear that we needed a visual identity that is, well, happy, right? When we talked about what would work best for this project, we decided pretty quickly that a strong, typographic logo and type-based visual identity elements would work best. I mean, it’s pretty hard to “own” an icon that says happy. And we knew we needed strong, clear, bright colours that were youthful but not childlike. Overall, we wanted to communicate a very strong vibe of positive, happy, loving energy.

The Happy Family Movement logo comes in three colour ways, so that Josh & Jenny can have maximum flexiblity in using it:

Aren’t you smiling already?

Next we tackled the Happy Family Movement website.

See? Lots of strong type (oh League Gothic and Museo Sans, how I love thee!). Bright colours. And fun icons.

When you visit the Happy Family Movement website, you’ll find a bunch of fun features. Interested in happy music? Then sign up for their weekly Music for Happy People playlist:

[Trust me. They have great taste in music!]

Want to bring a little more fun back to family meal time? Then try out their latest challenge:

[This is a family that loves pancakes. I think folks who sign up are in for a good time!]

The Happy Family Movement will be offering some really fun products. The first Adventure in a Box is focused on Road Trippin’:

[Can you tell I had a ton of fun working on this project?]

How will you know if something is Happy Family Movement approved? We’ve got some fun badges:

There are tons of other fun visual identity elements that are still in the works. I’ll do an update soon!

This is the third project I’ve done with the Solars and I continue to be inspired by their passion, their commitment to living life out loud, and their incredibly positive attitude. I simply could not ask for a better client relationship. And I am so pleased to play a role in this wonderful project.

Please, do check it our for yourself. You’ll find the Happy Family Movement website here, and you can follow the Solars on their own happy family adventure on their blog, here.

So imagine my delight when Darbi G. came back to me for help designing the visual identity for her boudoir photography business. Yep, I was pretty pleased!

She was looking for something that would give clients a visual clue — “hey, this is a Darbi G gig” — but would feel distinct enough to stand on its own. It was important to her that it expressed the two elements of the name: there had to be some sweetness; but there also had to be some heat! She specifically requested that we explore the idea of portraying the female form in an abstract way.

And so that’s just what we did!

So what can I tell you about this logo… first, the colours are familiar. They are the same as the Darbi G. colours, and thus an important visual clue for clients. Second, we kept the typefaces the same. I mean, you can’t really go wrong with Garamond and Gotham, right? But we added the incredibly beautiful Baskerville Italic ampersand to give the typography a nice set of womanly curves.

The icon is round, to help express the idea of connection. The abstract shape is reminiscent of twin Ss (Sugar & Spice), but it could also be the curve of a woman’s waist. There’s a heart shape in there… maybe the small of a woman’s back, but also to express the idea that most women come to Darbi for boudoir photography as a gift for a loved one. And finally, some very feminine pearls.

Thanks, Darbi, for the opportunity to support you once again!

Darbi’s just launched her boudoir site (she took on the design for that herself… she’s multi-talented that way), and you can see it here. But be warned, serious curves ahead!

When I asked Megan what she was looking for in a visual identity, she told me she wanted something professional and elegant, but also fun and vibrant. I knew it had to try to capture the tremendous energy and enthusiasm with which she tackles everything in life.

Here is what we developed:

We went with one of the most elegant typefaces around – Didot (I was SO happy to finally get to use this typeface on a client project). It is just the perfect fit for Megan. She is just as feminine and classy as the typeface that now represents her. We chose a really fresh green and blue palette to give the identity some energy. And that swirl icon? It could be a C. It could be energy. It has a lot of permutations.

We did some business cards that really play up the icon:

And we had some fun with her Twitter background, too. You can see it here.

If you’re a small cap company looking for better bang for your IR buck, give Megan a call!

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!

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!

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!

]]> http://agirlnamedfred.com/2010/06/11/form-function/feed/ 0 http://agirlnamedfred.com/2010/06/09/julie-branyan-photography/ http://agirlnamedfred.com/2010/06/09/julie-branyan-photography/#comments Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:58:48 +0000 a girl named fred http://agirlnamedfred.com/?p=2713 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!

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.