Last night I did something super exciting. Like, I-had-dreams-about-it-all-night exciting. Are you ready for it?
I finally met with the graphic designer / branding genius whom I’ve hired to rebrand my shop, my blog, and everything in between.
Ok, so you’re probably thinking “what’s she smoking? that’s not so exciting” 🙂 But for me it honestly is. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for over a year, but every time I’d start I’d chicken out. Or be indecisive in what I wanted.
So why the change and the sudden motivation? Because believe it or not, I really am about to start selling my much-delayed dog beds, and I want my new brand to be all over that when it happens, especially becuase I’ll really be marketing that product.
It just so happens that my new look will be here in time for fall and winter shows, too – which rocks my boat. In the mean time, here’s some color isnpiration that I am absolutely head over heels with:
Via 315 Design
Via Weddings Illustrated
By 315 Design
If you like what you see, check out my Gorgeous Websites pinterest board for more eye candy! In the mean time, do you have any tips on working with a graphic designer?
9 Comments
As a graphic designer myself, I can say from first hand experience, that I wish my clients would put more time into gathering and crystallizing their thoughts and desires for the project before I start designing. Way too often the client will give me design parameters, I’ll run with them and sink hours into a design and then inevitably will end up with several “Oh, I forgot to tell you…” requirements thrown in by the client towards the end. This can be very frustrating to a designer because even minor changes in the mind of the client can cause the designer an immense of amount of hours to rework a design properly. I know this is part of the design process, but it will really help your working relationship and designer’s sanity if you can be overly clear upfront on what your end goal is in order to keep changes to a minimum as the project progresses.
Janise, thanks for sharing that! That’s exactly what I kept running into. I change my mind a ton – hence the lack of finished rooms in my house 😉 – and so even though I kept thinking I was ready to work with him, I kept chickening out because I wasn’t solid on my plan/idea. Thanks for sharing that, I can’t imagine how hard it would be to have clients throw in different requirements at the end, etc.
This is SO EXCITING!! My only advice is make sure you’re very clear about what you want/need (problem to solve), but let them use their creative genius to figure out the solution. Micromanaging designers too much only leads to luke warm design.
And, I love your inspiration – that logo at the end is gorgeous!
Jenn, you’re right. I will NOT micromanage. I am outsourcing so that I can spend my time and energy on products, not design. But I’m glad you mentioned it! I see that problem a lot at work 🙂
I’ve been working on branding for a project for a couple months now and am close to one major milestone (logo!). It’s been so much fun. With each round of revisions, I’ve tried to point out specific things that I like and don’t like and be suuuuuper descriptive about why I feel that way. I think I’m working with an amazing pro who is able to incorporate the feedback, but also push me beyond my comfort zone based on what he knows about branding.
I think that last part is key. It’s so tempting to see another brand’s identity and say “i want something like that!” and then hold onto that example with white knuckles. Great designers can give you a slight nudge towards something that isn’t just a riff on another brand.
That’s a really good point. I don’t want anyone to recreate or copy someone else’s design. I did choose this person because I liked what they did for another blogger / handmade business owner, but at the same time I definitely want my OWN identity. Thanks for the tips about detail and comfort zones. This is a new experience for me!
[…] I mentioned in yesterday’s branding post, the fall and winter shows are quickly approaching for Janery, so I need to get sewing. […]
Ooooooooo!!! Can’t wait to see what your new look will be! That is super mega exciting, Jane!
[…] wallpaper, but that’s also going to wait. I think I may try to incorporate the colors of my new logo when I do […]