Hey There
Here we will explain how we do our Branding projects and explain our process with our own brand! We hope you can understand our creative process.
History
​Our first client was our brand. Here, you can learn about branding and see our creative process. When we initially created our brand, we did not have a target audience, so we opted for a generic logo and color palette.
However, as we developed our brand, we found our footing and adjusted our appearance to align with our values and audience. Showing our original visual identity is essential because identities can and should evolve. When we decided to refresh our brand's appearance, we searched for elements representing our values and resonating with our clients' lifestyles.
Target audience
Our new target audience is small businesses, particularly led by women aged 40-65. This doesn't mean we will exclude other clients; instead, we focus on appealing to one particular group. With this focus, we chose a more neutral color palette to represent our older audience better. However, we also wanted to keep the design lively, so we retained our beautiful, flowing jellyfish logo and created our iconography.
Persona
Although this exercise is simple, it is essential for a crucial understanding of our customers' needs and for kicking off the creative process.
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Starting a project can be challenging, but beginning with something straightforward, like creating a "sim" in The Sims to represent a brand, is a great icebreaker. This approach helps us learn more about our clients and helps them evaluate our knowledge and creativity, even without extensive graphic design experience.
After crafting a persona, our client must establish a mission, vision, and values.
Mission
The reason your brand exists.
In our case, we aim to help small businesses like ours find their identity and achieve success.
We can finally create visual content once we have established these foundational elements. We will ask clients to identify brands with interesting identities, even if they are not in the same niche. Using all that information, we will create a mood board. After analyzing it, we will explore different options.
Logo
We chose a jellyfish for several reasons. Firstly, it is an animal that follows the tides and explores the unknown, much like we do as we seek to engage with different audiences, businesses, and creative ventures. Additionally, since jellyfish lack skeletons, they symbolize our ability to adapt and be flexible. Lastly, jellyfish are also gorgeous creatures.
We could have created a logo with more uncomplicated application and readability, but we focused on appearance and personality instead. How do we know this? We can conduct various tests; however, the more detailed an image is, the harder it can be to use. Our logo features three colors and fine lines, which may pose challenges for low-vision individuals. Nevertheless, it was worthwhile to sacrifice some practicality to convey our brand values better.
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When designing a brand's logo, our clients can prioritize their preferences, and we can accommodate those choices accordingly.
Fonts
Reklame Script
​This calligraphy font with rounded edges features a characteristic shape that highlights the elegance of calligraphic letters with medium stroke variations. However, it can not be used in large bodies of text or small applications. So, why did we choose this font? Calligraphic fonts convey a sense of personality, while rounded fonts often suggest friendliness. Additionally, calligraphy is commonly used in personal contexts, such as among family and friends, which creates an association with intimacy. This connection fosters a feeling of trust among our clients.
Sora is a sans-serif font that combines elements of both Humanist and Modernist styles. This means half of the letters are geometric, while the other half have a more human-like appearance. Additionally, Sora is a versatile typeface suitable for many applications, including large bodies of text and smaller formats. It also comes in thin and bold versions. We chose Sora for its adaptability across various contexts. Our brand primarily operates in digital media, so a sans-serif font enhances readability.
The blend of Humanist and Modernist traits reflects our target audience's values, striking a balance between embracing technology and preserving traditions. This approach ensures that the font remains easy to read, unlike a purely Modernist font.
Fonts
Sora
Iconography
​We miss our bold and colorful old brand, so we paid homage to it with our icons. We prefer feminine, bold icons resembling illustrations, which contrast beautifully with our monochrome neutral color palette. We are still in the process of developing these icons, for now we are using a mix of free use ones and our own. Iconography is an aspect of branding that should constantly be evolving, as there is always a need for new icons.
This step is typically sold in a pack of icons, or we can work with existing ones for our client.
The end?
A Branding project never truly ends! every post, project, and text will develop the brand further, so, just like people, brands change over time. Remeber to keep your audience up to date.