Graphic Design can imply many different things, and I am blessed to work on a variety of projects. This past week, the title "graphic designer" meant : creating playful illustrations, mocking up a website layout, editing some photography, designing a couple vehicle wraps, creating and curating the look and feel of a endowment campaign, as well as researching and presenting bid on a large project.
Never a dull moment!
... As this busy week comes to an end, I am grateful for so many wonderful clients I get to partner with daily. Thank you for your business.
Amity Rise is another perfect example of why I have the best job. Hearing the dreams, plans, and vision of a business before it goes "public" is being invited into one of the best secrets. Listening to the story of where a client has started, who they are, where they see their business going, and what they dream of it growing into is inspiring.
As colorful, personal, and maybe even whimsical as this project turned out to be in the end, there are quite a few practial steps that my clients and I go through to get there.
Yes, there is a detailed client questionnaire; yes, there are meetings, as well as emails, phone convos and revisions. However, there are also many deeper questions that need to be asked by me and answered by my client to allow for those personal touches to show up in the end.
One of our conversations was on how Sarah is very creative and free flowing. I discovered that she loves live greenery and color and tries to incorporate that into her interior design business when possible. Whereas her husband is a little more on the structured, methodical, and logical side of things--yet this is THEIR business together. How do I represent both sides of this partnership and the roles they play in their business visually?
Through the typography, the combination of the colors, as well as the structured geometric shape combined with the free-flowing illustrations, I was able to bring that balance into the logo.
People often think that a logo is the first thing you need to start a business. Although it's important and needed, creating a logo for a business or company comes after the content (mission, values, goals) are already in place. Sarah and Wes came to me with their "content", or sometimes referred to as their "brand" which is the fundamental characteristics which make their business distinct, authentic and relevant to their customers. From that place we were able to get on the same page in creating the visual statement of that brand which is AMITY RISE.
This was a nice change from sitting at my computer for 8 hours. Custom illustrations for a little boy's room—soon to make his debut into the world.
While I was down in Austin, I snuck away from the busyness of SXSW and found a quiet hotel lobby to sit and sketch for a couple hours. Aren't they fun?
I did eventually have to make it back to my computer to scan them in and add some touches of color, however, it was worth it.
