Find Me Over At Jen Serafini’s Blog!
I feel so incredibly lucky and flattered to have recently been asked to participate in Jen Serafini’s Inspired By Series. If you ever wonder what inspires my work, head on over to her site for the full interview and an explanation for the random photos below! Thanks so much for including me Jen!
P.S. Jen also is a graphic designer and has an amazing portfolio and blog so be sure to click around her site for additional eye candy and inspiration!
Hot Off The Press! Red Egg And Ginger Party Invitations
Just designed these adorable Red Egg and Ginger Invitations to introduce the even cuter baby, Kalee Kang!
Lake August Wallpaper
My amazing and talented friend, Alexis just recently launched a beautiful line of hand-drawn and hand-printed wallpaper. Not only do I love each design but I also love her vision and generosity to the Land Stewardship project. Aren’t the designs adorable?! I want all of them! Congratulations Alexis!
Inspiration: Murad Osmann’s “Follow Me” Instagram Series
I just came across this amazing instagram series by photographer, Murad Osmann and it’s got me dreaming of far off lands I’ve yet to explore. I just did a huge vacation last year so unfortunately it looks like I’m staying close to home this summer. How about you? What are your summer plans?
Inspiration: Vintage Stamps and Mailing Labels
I am currently going through another purge (I have so much stuff!) and came across a box of vintage stamps. I love the simplicity of the artwork and the bright colors—a great source for inspiration!
Branding for Scot Woodman Photography
It seems like I’ve been doing quite a few branding projects lately and I couldn’t be more happy about it! I absolutely love establishing a look and feel for a business and strongly believe this is the most important step in developing a successful business. Not only does good branding familiarize the public with a recognizable and consistent look, but it also legitimizes a business.
For the super talented, Scot Woodman, I created three logo variations—each of which are consistent with each other so that if one is used without the other, it still looks like it came from the same place (very important)! I also created graphical elements, patterns, and a color palette that are unique to his brand. By sticking with this overall scheme, Scot can now easily maintain a consistent and professional look throughout all his future marketing materials. Don’t you think the overall look and feel are a perfect match to his amazing photos? For more visual eye candy by Scot, go here.
Sculptural Flash Drives by Yoo-Kyung Shin & Hanhsi Chen
The other day I was doing some packaging and product research for a client and found these amazing flash drives. Only problem is they are a wee bit out of our budget.
My Logo Design Process
To develop an effective brand identity, it is extremely important to have a clearly laid out process that gives me guidance and allows clients to articulate their needs. While every designer has their own logo design process I have found that these few simple steps have saved me from miscommunication, frustration and unnecessary time and money spent on revisions.
1. GET TO KNOW MY CLIENTS (Questionnaire and Pinterest Board)
The most important part of the process is getting A LOT (the more the better!) of information from my clients. This enables me to understand what their business is about, what their needs are, and what they like and dislike. I get this information from my clients two ways. First, I send a design brief that includes questions such as, “What do you want your logo to communicate about your company or products?” and “Are there any images or concepts you DO NOT want to see?” These types of questions allow clients to think about their business goals and how they would like their company to be represented visually. Secondly, I encourage my clients to set up a Pinterest board. Pinterest is an online pinboard that allows individuals to collect and share their images and is a terrific way for clients to communicate their likes and dislikes. Below is a screenshot of the board that the High Five gals put together for me. Notice how they added comments about what they liked or disliked about the image?
2. RESEARCH
After I receive all the information above, I do my own research to inform myself on the latest trends within my client’s industry. If I’m not exactly clear on the style my client is after or if I want to push them in a certain direction, this is also when I show them images of a particular look and feel I am after.
3. SKETCH, DIGITIZE, AND PRESENT
After all that research, I usually have a pretty good idea of what direction I should go in and finally start designing. I usually spend about 2-3 days sketching. Once I have some good solid ideas on paper, I scan the three strongest designs and digitize them on my computer. It’s important that the logos are strong designs without any color (often clients choose logos because they are influenced by color). So, I almost always present the first round in black and white.
4. REVISE, CHOOSE COLORS, FINALIZE AND DO A HAPPY DANCE!
Once I submit the designs to my client, I wait for their feedback, make revisions and present color options based on inspiration photos they send me (see sample of color options based on images below). I then submit round two and repeat until complete!
If you are a designer, what’s your logo design process? What works for you? What doesn’t? Or, if you have been on the receiving end, what made your experience good or bad? Let me know in the comments below—I’d love to know your thoughts!





























