I actually can’t believe how hard I’ve been working on my shop idea. Every night after work, and all through the weekend. I’m actually a little impressed with my focus.
It’s occurred to me that perhaps I set too lofty a goal, and I have realized that I won’t have the full line-up of products ready when Thanksgiving hits. But I’ll have some of them, and I’ll just keep adding to the shop through December and my holiday break . . . and into the new year, of course!
I haven’t just been sewing, though. First, I worked at creating my own patterns for the items I wanted to make. I could have found patterns online, but I feel that if I’m aiming to profit from the creation of these goods, then it’s not right to use other people’s patterns. When I hit a roadblock, like I did last night with the cuffs on my Christmas stocking pattern, I experience great frustration, wish I’d bought a pattern, do something else, and then suddenly find a moment of clarity where the solution hits me. Unfortunately, it was after midnight so I couldn’t try it out then.
Creating patterns from scratch has been one of the most time-intensive parts of the process, and is what has slowed me down the most. The other item that I needed to take care of was creating a company name, logo, tagline, and Etsy shop header. I’ve been trying to read everything I can on company naming/branding, and it was a bit overwhelming. I appreciated all the great feedback on potential shop names. I really had trouble deciding, but in the end I went with my gut feeling (rather than the popular vote) and stuck with the name that popped into my head over a year ago.
Why ‘flourish?’ Well I haven’t finalized my marketing pitch yet, but let’s just say that I love the word. It makes me think of style, fashion, panache, and a little bit of whimsy – and at the same time, can also mean “Grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, esp. as the result of a particularly favorable environment.” And I’d like to think that at least one of my products, my reusable cloth bags, will contribute to helping our planet flourish, by cutting down more on the use of plastic.
But back to the branding. I threw together these sketches (using Picnik) so that my graphic designer could get a feel for what I wanted. I’m sticking with the same color scheme as the Borrowed Abode, just for continuity.
I’m torn between listing my product categories on the right side, or the tagline. I’m also torn on the exact tagline.
- Embellishments for a vogue abode
- Accessories for a vogue abode
Oh, one last thing. To all who voted (and commented) on the shop name poll, THANK YOU! I mentioned that I’d select one commenter (randomly) to win a $25 credit towards my shop when it opens. In the mean time, if you want another chance to win, just comment on this post and share your thoughts on the name/tagline/logo/branding. Seriously, I would love to hear your feedback!! It really, really makes my day. 🙂 You guys rock!!
Update: Leaning towards the tagline of “accessories for a vogue abode” to keep it short and simple.
11 Comments
I love the name!! You’re right – Flourish is such a great word. I’m really excited for your shop. I love the first banner the best. As for the exact wording of the tag line, it’s hard to say; I think “Home accessories” flows a little better than embellishments, especially if you are going to have “& pet beds” following it.
I won’t even try to repeat it because I totally agree with everything Kerri said! Those were my exact thoughts.
Thanks ladies, point understood and taken!
Flourish is great 🙂 If it were me, I’d shy away from listing product categories, because what if 6 months down the road you decide that ped beds aren’t moving, but the jingle bell princess pet collars are? Then again, I haven’t read up quite as much as you have, I’m guessing.
I like the word embelleshments, too, but I agree that it doesn’t pair well with ‘pet beds.’ Is there another word you could use in place of pet beds? Do you have a special name for them? Like…I don’t know…Loungers? My very first knee-jerk oafish reaction is that ‘pet beds’ is lacking in the calibre of pizazz that ‘flourish’ and even ’embellish’ have, and is it necessary to be so specific when pets land in the shop name?
But again, I’m not the ninja you’ve become 🙂
I really like your point about how listing “pet beds” could be redundant, since the shop name has “pets” in it. If it is Flourish Pets and Home and the tagline mentions accessories for a vogue abode – well then I guess people should be able to realize that the accessories are for pets AND home.
Thanks!!
The third design is my FAVORITE! I like the simplicity of “accessories for a vogue abode” but maybe it would be best to go with the more complete description while you’re starting out and once the brand becomes more established you can simplify it? Just a random thought — sooo excited for you! =)
xoXOxo
Jenn L @ Peas & Crayons
Maybe I’m a special kind of dunce, but I’ve been aware of your idea for a while, but when I read the banner “Flourish Pets & Home” I forgot about the pets when it came to the home accessories part. So for mommy brains like me, I like the very first banner and might just reword the white part to “Home & Pet accessories” and because I like a little theatricality in my writing: “Home & Pet Accessories: a vogue abode for the whole family” or something like that. In my mind, pet owners love the idea of pets as family. However, I am not a pet owner as my husband and I aren’t really pet… people. So you would know better than me, Jane!
Julia’s opinion stated. Over & out.
I love that idea – I’ll definitely play around with it!!
I’m looking forward to seeing your wares. Pet beds? Tell me more!
I like it! I really like the tag line as you have it. I don’t really think about embellishing pets. Accessorizing seems to work better for me. And, I really like the third header! Can’t wait to see the shop! 🙂
I really love the third design too, and will throw in with the laddies who endorsed the words Flourish and Embellishments! And I like the tagline of Embellishments for a vogue abode rather than listing your items. Just make sure that those items can be searched at the Etsy homepage and I think you’ll be good!