Red Tail Management

WIth the holidays just around the corner, it feels very fitting to share this project for a hospitality focused brand with the nicest fall color palette.

One of my favorite aspects of working with this client was their emphasis on fun. In their answers to the branding questionnaire I send to each client, the response “FUN!” showed up no less than three times, so I knew that would be one of our most important traits to focus on.

Another favorite aspect of this client was the conscious decision to not have their brand be too literal. Being that the name is Red Tail (after a red tail hawk) the obvious decision would have been to include a bird in some way, which was my initial instinct as you can see in the early concepts below.

However, we all agreed it didn’t feel quite right and wasn’t working with the personality they wanted to convey. Enter the pineapple addition - which turns out to be the international symbol of hospitality. From here things really took off and began to take shape to be the perfect fit for their company.

The combination of the warm color palette, detailed illustration, and soft logo treatment created the perfect combination to represent their brand and appeal to their market of investors, homeowners, professionals, and (of course!) fun people!

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Moodboard

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Initial Concepts

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Final Outcome

Services Included:
Creative Brief, Moodboard, Logo Design, Business Card Design, Social Media Profiles, Branding Guidelines, Collateral Consultation

Root & Blossom Photography

More often than not, my clients find me on a referral basis. That is indirectly what happened in this case, and one of few instances we never actually met in person - though it feels as if we could have been friends for years. After seeing Good Day branding work on Instagram for another client (see that project here), Mandi reached out about rebranding her photography business. We hit it off over a Skype call then hit the ground running. 

One of the things I loved most about our initial interaction was hearing her reasoning for rebranding and the explanation behind the new name "Root & Blossom". In her own words,

“As photographers, we’re hired to capture some of the most life-changing events in our clients’ lives. They’re moments of great change, growth, and emotion; whether it’s a new life as a married couple or new parents becoming a family for the first time. Our clients are rooting down and growing, often at the same time. Also, this name was inspired by the E.E. Cummings poem “[I carry your heart with me (I carry it in]. ”

Can you tell she also has a background in writing?

I couldn't help but feel a sentimental love for this project all the more. Sometimes I joke that in high school, during the poetry section of a class, my best friends and I each picked a favorite poet. Mine, of course, was E.E. Cummings. I always love starting a brand with a lot of meaning behind it, and it’s really the icing on the cake when you happen have special tie to it as well. 

From there, we dove into specifics about their audience and values of the brand. Another reason I love this client - apt descriptions of what they aimed to convey. The pairings of seemingly opposite terms like "romantic with an edge of punk rock" and "eclectic, alternative yet natural, artistic" painted an image of the kind of couple or family who would be in front of their lens.  

This led us into the first round of logo concepts that you can see below. 

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Concepts

I'll give you a quick rundown of the ideas above. The first was meant to act as a versatile logo which would have graphic elements that could evolve and change with trends but always have a strong foundation with a timeless, text-based logo. The second was intended to work as an elegant mark merging a classic floral illustration with a modern, geometric shape and text treatment. The third was meant to truly speak to the name of the company in an illustrated manner of combining the root and the bud with an ampersand drawing. 

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The Outcome

After evaluating what we had here, we both liked the idea of using the second option as the primary logo and utilizing the ampersand mark as a secondary logo. 

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Services Included: 
Creative Brief, Moodboard, Logo Design, Business Card Design, Social Media Profiles, Branding Guidelines, Instagram Marketing
 

Emily Rose Floral Designs

The way I met Emily Rose is a fun start to our story. Initially, she reached out to me after following me on Instagram. We emailed and scheduled a meeting for the following week. Little did we know, two days later we would be attending the same event - where I would embarrassingly mention not being a designer who "only makes logos with flowers." Emily then introduces herself as, Emily Rose - the florist I've been in communication with and will be meeting soon. 

Cue the horror on my face - but together we laugh, and I tell her she can have an entire bouquet in her logo if she would like. While my floral comment made sense at the time (in response to a question about my design style and clients I work with) it was still the perfect introduction to Emily - easy going, fun to be around, very professional, someone you can make fast friends with. The candid nature of our meeting made it feel like working with a friend from the get-go, and I think it shows in her branding. 

The target market for her company includes couples in the Northern Colorado area with an appreciation for detail and natural beauty in their wedding florals. Some of the key focus words included: passionate, relatable, intriguing, professional, unique, flourishing, lovely, noticeable, progressive, and romantic - one of my favorite collections of branding adjectives to date. 

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Moodboard

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Original Concepts

Including three distinct directions from the onset is always a key component of my process. Here the different ideas included:

1. Bold, a little funky, standout from the industry

2. Soft, romantic, charming

3. Classic, botanic, professional

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Choosing the Final Logo

Even knowing from the beginning that Emily was questioning whether she wanted to include a flower as a main design element in the branding, I had a feeling she was going to pick the second option. We met to go over the designs, and she chose the second option hands-down. We both agreed that the simplicity, the descriptive nature of her industry, and the romantic sweetness of the approach made it a perfect fit.

The only hesitation was regarding the lower case treatment to each word of the title, so I showed her what the design would look like in uppercase or title case as well. One of the reasons I like providing options in the logo development process is because I find it to be just as helpful to know what you don't want as to see what you do want. That is exactly what happened in this case. We stuck with the original all lower case letters, and I moved on to the rest of the design elements. 

Some standout favorites from the project included the enthusiasm and participation from the client - being involved is one of the best things you can do to make the process not just a success, but a smash success. In addition, I love any excuse to make a pretty pattern, so couple that with delicate floral illustrations and you have my heart.

Project Summary:

Branding Questionnaire, Creative Brief, Moodboard, Logo Design, Business Card Design, Custom Patterns, Thank You Card Design, Postcard Design 

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One Source Cleaning

If there's something I love, it's working with a company with great integrity. When discussing this business with the owner she gave her reasoning for choosing to be a green cleaning company. While the environment was an important factor, her main reasoning was for the health of her employees and to save them from surrounding themselves with harsh chemicals daily, not to mention her emphasis on paying her employees a livable wage. 

I knew right away this brand would be a joy to work on. After owning several businesses in her professional career, Jill had never been through a professional branding process, so this rebrand was a new experience. 

Focus words included: Unique & professional, straight-forward, clear & quality, organized & efficient, and customer service oriented. Knowing her target demographic was the woman in the household, as well as a specialty service to target Air Bnb, hosts, having a straightforward and modern appearance was the utmost importance. 

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Moodboard:

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Initial Concepts:

After reviewing these three concepts, there were a few strong points identified. Though Option 1 was a strong contender, it was ultimately decided that it was too modern and needed to be a little bit softer. From there, she identified the elements that were strongest from each and felt represented the brand best.

Ultimately, I honed in on:

• The type treatment from Option 1
• The circle leaf icon from Option 2
• Combining these two elements
• Softening the combination of those two elements

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Final Design:

Hanning Law Ltd.

One of my favorite ways for a new project to begin is with a client who wants to think outside the box, which is exactly what Brian wanted to do to brand his law firm. Having worked in the industry for some time before branching out on his own, he wanted something a little less traditional and put a modern spin on the traditional "lawyer look." 

Brian had an initial concept to have pillars and a quill, traditional imagery, to form an "H" to represent Hanning. One of the reasons I love presenting multiple logo options is the it gives me space to develop the client's idea, which I will always do when they come to me with one, as well as explore new options.  

Initial Concepts:

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After reviewing the initial logo concepts and choosing the first option, Brian's only request was to make the colors pop a little bit more, so I adjusted the color palette to be more in the teal family than muted navy, giving just the modern and lively vibe he was going for.  In addition to revising the colors, I adjusted the type treatment to include a little more variation by bolding Hanning and adding lines as accents. 

Final design:

Courtney Cyr Design & Events

This was one of those projects. The kind that if I could work with this client, her energy, her vision, and her passion for the project every day, I absolutely would. Courtney, of Courtney Cyr Design & Events, is one of those rare souls. I’ve had the privilege of following her career before we met, being a part of it as we work together, and gotten to know her more along the way. Her attention to detail is impeccable and her kindness is the stuff of storybooks and legend. She has compliments of the kindest and truest sort at the ready and offers them generously. If you count her as a friend, count yourself lucky. If you find yourself as a client, then you find yourself in good hands.

This journey started with the goal to improve upon the existing branding she had and have it match into the personality and business she's grown into. 

Focus words included: whimsical, feminine, bohemian, honest, minimalist, positive, and hard working. We started with her logo, business cards, and social graphics and developed all supporting materials from there. 

Moodboard:

After the go-ahead on this moodboard, I dove into initial logo concepts. With such a clear vision from the onset, creating three distinct concepts was no problem. Looking at these from the left to the right, these were my main focuses:

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Initial Concepts:

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1. A style that closely related to the brand as it is now 
2. A style I could foresee the brand growing into
3. A "reach" style that would evolve the brand a bit
    

Each time I begin working on these three concepts, I have an idea and rationale behind each one. After sharing these concepts in the initial reveal and discussing each direction more, we landed on the same page with option 2.

One of the best parts of this process is the dialogue we have. We both agreed that Option 1 is more reflective of Courtney's current aesthetic, but the point of this rebrand was to create a more "mature" look for the company. Because she had these three options to compare and the clear direction I had, we were able to narrow down to what will be best for her brand for years to come. 

The simplicity, the understated nature of this brand, and the dreamy floral illustrations, not to mention the vision behind these elements (and let's be honest, the woman who shared them with me) has made this one of my favorite projects to date. 

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End Product:

Courtney was generous enough to give me a bit of her time and her answer the following questions. If you've ever wondered about what a branding process looks like with Good Day Design Co., here's an inside scoop! 

Q: What originally made you reach out to Good Day Design Co.?
A: I originally reached out to Good Day Design because I’d heard amazing things about Emily. It only took one short coffee date for me to realize that this was who I had been hoping to find. I remember immediately being impressed by her work right from the start. Her website and portfolio made me realize that she knew was she was doing as a graphic designer. We started planning my rebrand almost immediately.

Q. What were your initial design goals?
A: Initially my goals were simple. Basically I was only interested in creating a more uniform look for my company. But as things progressed I began to realize how important my branding was to me and how little attention I had been paying to it. This is where Emily came in.

Let me start by saying that I have trouble communicating what I want during creative projects. I babble + appreciate many different styles, so from the moment I started to think about hiring someone to create a logo for me I was worried this would be an issue. But it wasn’t. Instead emily listened & took notes on everything I mentioned. She paid attention to even the smallest details and in the end created something that exceeded my expectations.

Q. What was your favorite part of the branding process? 
A: This is probably the most cliche answer, but seeing the final designs was the best part of the process for me. The mood board +  logo brought out some hidden fountain of self confidence that I had buried inside of me and made me feel like a new woman. 

Q. Were there any parts of the process that surprised you? 
A: It surprised me how confident having a legitimate brand made me feel. Courtney Cyr Design + Events is a small operation that only began about a year and a half ago so I am constantly feeling like a newbie in my industry. Working with someone who understands what you’re doing, and sees who you want to be and then takes that & turns it into a beautiful logo or a beautiful font is one of the most rewarding processes I’ve been through since starting my business.

Q. How would you describe working with Good Day Design Co.?
A: Emily is incredible. She’s understanding, listens well, easily understands concepts (even when you don’t do a great job explaining them to her). As a designer her work is unparalleled; it’s clean, understandable, stylist, simple, and ended up being exactly what I was looking for in a design. She works hard, and cares about her clients in a genuine way.

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Services included:
Logo design, brand development, creative consulation

Hive Theory

You know that feeling that tugs at you? The one reminding you to give back to your community, invest some of your time and dollars to something that matters? 

Hive Theory listened to that call to the utmost. Not only did they listen, but they created a business around this message. Mindy is the brains behind the operation, and when you talk to her, you feel like you are on excitement and idea overload...in the best possible way. 

It's been one of my professional privileges to be involved in this company that prioritizes giving back. In addition to her big heart, Mindy's style is always on point. So this branding project was one of dreams with words like sleek, chic, modern, as our focus words. 

From the moodboard to social graphics to printed items, I couldn't be happier to have worked with this company and see how their vision grows and benefits others. 

Do you use your business for a beneficial reason? Maybe you want to learn more about how you can get involved in your community? Talk to Hive Theory about your vision! 

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Logo Design, Brand Development, Custom Illustration, Creative Consultation

Brindle Digital Marketing Brand Reveal

If I could "hire" an ideal client, I would base that ideal on Sarah. She was an absolute dream to work with from start to finish. After working in the digital marketing industry for several years and successfully working a dog blog passion project (do yourself a favor and check out it out - adorable!), she knew she was ready to take the leap into creating a full-time business for herself. Having just made that transition myself, I was especially eager to work on this project with her. 

As usual we started by going over her business goals and her services and audience. The key descriptors she wanted to focus on were: lighthearted, simple, modern, confident, eager, clean, strong. Because she had her blog, I was able to somewhat familiarize myself with her general design aesthetic a bit more than I normally would be able to to and hone in on the simplistic, soft, natural appearance as well as the subtle color palette with pops of color. 

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Initial Logo Concepts 

The name Brindle Digital was inspired by her love of dogs, specifically her brindle colored pup. Knowing the idea behind the name, we discussed the possibility of including a dog as part of the logo, so I expreiemented with a little bit of both. 

After seeing the dog theme in action, Sarah decided she would rather back off from the dog imagery and let that aspect be more subtle. She did, however, love aspects from two of the options: the composition from the first option and the type treatment of the third option. After deciding to forego the dog imagery, I suggested we use an initial mark instead. This gave me the chance to incorporate the shadowed text, leave plenty of opportunity to create a secondary logo, and keep the composition of the first logo.

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Final Logo

From there we arrived at this final logo design using a banner and initial mark in place of the dog. At this point, I also finalized the color palette and typography choices. The fresh and energetic color palette is one of my favorite parts of this brand. 

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Marketing Collateral

This has to be one of my favorite aspects of branding projects. Up to this point, each move is really intended to create a solid base for the brand, but the marketing materials are when you can really see the brand come to life. A logo becomes so much more than just the mark. I started by working on the business cards, keeping a limited color palette more and introducing the wavy lines texture and the circular secondary logo.

The brochure and social media graphics were especially fun to work on because it is where I was able to bring in more color and start to really play up some of the graphic elements like the angled color blocking, wavy lines, and simple divider lines. 

Interiors

Interiors is a lifestyle based interior design company. I love when clients have a vision that aligns with the ideals of the services they offer. As we started this process, it was apparent that Interiors has a unique and very forward thinking approach to interior design.  Their approach goes beyond design and encompasses curating a space that you not only enjoy living in but also that you can effectively organize. Knowing that helped me to know their branding also needed to be feel cutting edge and forward thinking. 

The three initial concepts each utilized a minimal color palette, clean and organized text, a fresh color palette and geometric elements. I have to admit, these concepts as a whole were one of my favorite as a group of three that I have presented to a client. 

After discussing the strengths of each option, they chose the third option based on the playful and modern elements that will come into play in the rest of the branding materials. We had discussed a watercolor element early in the process and the subtle inclusion paired with the contrasting sharper geometric shapes ended up being just what they were looking for. 

PHOCO

Voted best photographer in Colorado in 2015, PHOCO is the premier photography and videography company in Northern Colorado. I have been privileged to work alongside this phenomenal team over the last several years. Not only have I gotten to know each person as an individual and see their talents shine and soar, but I was also entrusted with rebranding the company when I was hired.

I started by simplifying the logo and color scheme. The logo needed to work equally well as a watermark, for apparel, and across a a wide variety of print materials. From there I developed the brand using circles as the main graphic element, silver foil stamping whenever possible and tying everything back to a clean modern aesthetic.  One of my greatest joys has been the work I have done with and for them.