As may of you may know, I'm a Graphic Designer. I work in the beauty industry as a Designer/Marketer by day and freelance at night (but really only on the weekends)! Today I thought I'd move away from my typical food review, and share a little bit about my branding process and how I help build brands for small businesses and individuals, plus a little product tip that helps me stay focused!
So what is the difference between a logo and a brand? A logo is a symbol that represents something. A brand on the other hand, is all of the little things in between, like your brand colors, font choices, patterns, and how all of those work together to help reinforce your business goals.
The process
Meeting
Typically when I start to build a brand, I sit down and have a consultation with my client. We'll discuss their business, goals, and what they envision for their brand.
Homework Design Phase: Logo Design & Presentation
Before I begin designing, I send my clients a Branding Questionnaire so that I can gather more information about them and their business. It's a lengthly questionnaire, but it's imperative to the design process. The more you can tell me about your business, the more I'm able to tailor your design to your needs. This stage is also accompanied by the building of a Pinterest board of visual inspiration. If you're a Pinterest user, this should be fun for you!
Discovery Phase: Design Brief & Moodboard
Once you've completed your homework, I dissect your questionnaire and Pinterest board to create a Moodboard. I will gather your selected images, along with your answers, and compile a moodboard with the general themes that I see you've chosen, along with what I think works best for your business. I'll also pick out your brand colors using a Pantone swatch book, which you can see in the picture below.
Design Phase: Logo Design & Presentation
This is the fun part–for the both of us! I usually spend a few hours sketching my designs on paper. I'll try different ideas, and research different ways of designing your logo. From there I'll go to my computer and start digitally designing your logo in Adobe Illustrator. This process takes a while, and usually has me glued to my computer, which to be honest is bad for my body! Not only do I get back aches, but sometimes I get migraines from staring at my screen for too long.
That's where my little product tip comes in! Pixel Eyewear reached out to me to try their Blue Light reflecting computer glasses. And I know you're probably thinking of these...
But really, they look like these...
Because let's be honest. It's 2018 and we can be chic and preventative at the same time.
Pixel's glasses block the blue light emitted from your computer, they eliminate glare, which helps with eye strain (trust me it's hard to work when your eyes don't work!), plus they block UV light, are scratch and fingerprint resistant, repel water and dust, AND reduce color and image distortion–no wonky logos please! The beauty of these glasses are that I can work at my computer for longer without the headaches and eye strain, and for me it's a no brainer that I need them.
Design Presentation
Now that I've solved my clients logo issues (and my migraine issues), it's time for me to present my logo to my client. This is where my clients get a first glimpse of their new brand. I'll take my designs and mock them up in real world situations, so that can see how their brand translates in real life. From there I'll await any feedback/approval of my design, and then packaged my clients logo, colors, and fonts into a lovely Brand Board so that they can go out into the world using their brand with confidence!
And that's it! While I've summed this process up quite fast, it typically takes me 4-5 weeks from start to finish. If you'd like to learn more about my design services, you can reach me here.
BONUS!
Pixel Eyewear has given me a pair of glasses to giveaway! Stay tuned for contest details on my Instagram page here.
If contests aren't your thing, you can also immediately purchase Pixels eyewear here, risk free for 30 days! PLUS they've offered me a $5 OFF code for my followers. Just use the code: Lafaci5 for $5 off at checkout.
This post was sponsored by Pixel Eyewear but all opinions are my own. #pixeleyewear #wearpixel #yegfoodblogger #yegdesigner #yeggraphicdesign #yeggraphicdesigner