Craft Shows, Indie Business

{Craft Fair Prep} Shop Branding & Logo Design

Buttons_and_Bunting Logo Idea

Branding and logo design are key to a successful company.  You can have the best products in the world, but if your brand and logo don’t represent you well, you may not attract the customers you want.

Because this is so important, I plan to eventually I’ll hire a graphic design & web design company to create a super professional branding and website package for both my blog and the shop.  However, for the next few months I’ve got to go the budget route and DIY it.  With this in mind, I’ve chosen to re-name and re-brand my shop to make it suit me and my products better.

The new shop name: Janery

Why?

When I launched my Etsy shop before Christmas, I chose the name Flourish Pets and Home.  That wasn’t the name I wanted.  Months before, I’d come up with the name Flourish!, which I imagined would be written in a fun, whimsical, yet classy font.  But after some internet research, I found I wasn’t the first to name a company Flourish.  That domain name, and several other websites, all existed for companies named Flourish this or that.

Tips for choosing a Company Name & Web Address

When you’re creating and naming a company in this day and age, you want to check and see if the domain name is available before settling on a company name.  Not only do you need the domain name to match your company name (so people can find you online), you also want the domain name to be short, easy to type, memorable, and not easily confused with other companies’ names.   And if the domain name for your business name of choice (and all its cousins) are taken already, then you probably should develop a different business name.

Random fact:  Experts say a domain name of 20 letters (0r 4 words) is pushing the limits of “too long.”

When I couldn’t get the website Flourish, or Flourish Home, I eventually settled on FlourishPetsandHome.com.  And that’s how I sold on Etsy as well, because I couldn’t get Flourish on Etsy either.  But the more I typed and saw my company name, the more dissatisfied I became.  It felt stodgy and complicated and just. not. me.

Then one night, just a few weeks ago, I was pondering new names. Suddenly the word “Janery” popped into my head.  It’s not a word, it’s not a name, but I knew then and there it was going to be MY shop name.  The idea was a combination of the words Jane & Finery . . . and then later we realized that it was also Jane & RYan, which is just fun.

A few weeks later, as I was trudging through some spreadsheets at work, a tagline popped into my head: “A celebration of fabric.”

Why this tagline? It incorporates the key element and inspiration behind my designs – fabric – without limiting me to a niche market.  My love of fabrics, of mixing and matching them, and of creating things from them, is what started this whole journey.   And I’m happiest with sewing when I’m mixing and matching, pulling pieces of fabric together and creating something random with them. And if  creating and sewing lovely, useful, durable items isn’t a celebrating fabric, then I don’t know what is!

Now that you know the back story on the change of name, tagline, and logo – here’s a rough draft of where I’m going.

Before I move on, I’d like to give a shout-out to Jen at iHeart Organizing, who created the logo with shop name and buttons for me.  I love it!!   (Btw:  I’ve also ordered some customized product order forms from her Etsy shop so that I can take custom orders at my booth in a professional manner!  Have you seen the fabulous forms and calendars and checklists she creates?  Jen is such a multi-talented girl!! )

But I’m constantly changing my mind, so when I thought up the “celebration of fabric” tagline, I decided I wanted to add some bunting across the top of my logo.   You know, to evoke that celebratory and fun feel.

Here’s where I’d love your help:

The bunting / pennant sketch that swings across the top of the design is only a rough draft.  I mocked it up using Sumo Paint, but I’m not a graphic artist and could really use some help from someone who knows enough about graphic design to create a high-resolution version.   Ideally, I’d love to fill each little triangle with patterns, to mimic the look of a fabric pennant.  But I have NO clue how to do that. If you know how, and are willing to help, I would be BEYOND appreciative!!  (And would definitely send some gifts your way as a thank-you . . .)

So what do you think?   I’d love to hear your thoughts on any or all of this. 🙂

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11 Comments

  • Reply Jenn at 4:42 pm

    I LOVE your new name! I also love that *a celebration of fabric* is your tag line. It doesn’t corner you into a super specific market and will allow your product line to grow. Good job!

    Also, I can help you with your bunting. I used to be a graphic designer and have the adobe suite. But, I wouldn’t be able to work on it until next week (I’m heading out of town tonight for the weekend). Would that work for you? If so, let’s chat! 🙂

  • Reply Julia at 5:58 pm

    I love these shop posts. And Janery is awesome. Made me think of an old fashioned milliner. Way to tap into nostalgia and pathos my friend.

  • Reply Cait @ Hernando House at 10:44 pm

    Love your new name! I’m a graphic designer, so if you’re still looking for help with the bunting let me know.

  • Reply Anonymous at 5:18 am

     I think you’re right in your assessment of the old name, and I think the new name is so cute…and maybe a little ‘different’ and most definitely more you (from what I can gather online!). It’s a keeper!

  • Reply Liz at 3:03 pm

    I think that was definitely a smart move changing your business name. Janery is a much more catchy, classy and timeless name! (How is it pronounced btw? Jan-ery, Jane-ery, or Jane-ry?) In the spirit of constructive criticism, I like the logo but I’m not in love with it. I’m thinking maybe my issue lies in the bunting being at an angle as opposed to it spanning one side of the box to the other. I could very well be wrong (especially since I’m not sure how that would look with the buttons), but I think that might make your logo look a bit more streamlined. The buttons are really cute graphically, but I question if they’re right for your logo. Are you really going to be using buttons in your creations? I was under the impression that you were only really going to be using zippers. If buttons aren’t really going to be significantly incorporated into your business I think having them in the logo will just distract from the patterned bunting which really is the focus. Just some ideas to play around with. I think you’re heading in the right direction! Best of luck.

  • Reply Anonymous at 12:31 am

     Very cute & love the new name! 🙂  I had a similar journey coming up w/ my biz name & logo – but mine’s not as colorful & fun as yours. LoL

  • Reply Jessica Maurice at 5:32 am

     Love it!!!

  • Reply Jennifer Jones at 10:36 pm

    Thanks so much for the sweet shout out.  I think adding the bunting would look incredible 🙂  So excited to watch as it all evolves!!

    xoxo,
    Jen

  • Reply mikalah at 4:30 pm

    OMGoodness, how did I miss this post??? I love where you are going with this, it is adorable. The tagline is perfect. Wish I could help out with the graphic design part, but alas, that is not where my talent lies!  

  • Reply Pattimac1 at 10:02 am

    Thanks for all of your great tips and ideas. I was looking for a way to place my jewelry in frames and hang them from the canopy during a craft show. I love your idea of the old window. I have one that my husband found and refinished for me. So, I think I’ll try your burlap idea. I also bought some frames that I think I’ll use the burlap idea in those, too. Great ideas. Keep ‘en comin’. Thanks.

    • Reply Jane at 10:58 am

      Thanks so much! I’m glad it was helpful for you, and good luck with your craft shows!

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