I have officially been in business since October 2010 and when it came time to launch my photo skills onto the world, I knew I would need a logo. I turned to a friend of mine who enjoys dabbling in the graphics arts world and together we came up with my logo. I was super excited about it, I felt it really showcased a big part of my personality. This was my very first business card and logo.
That’s about the only thing I’ve kept in tact in the past six years when it came to branding or my website. I never really had a clear direction with the color scheme and overall look to my website. I would see something on the inter-webs and decide I liked that look, so I’d pattern my website after it. Eventually I’d get bored with it and want something different and so I’d start over again. Every couple years or so I’d purchase a new template for my WordPress website and try to spice things up a bit.
I like change, so this suited me for several years. But I still felt like things were missing in my branding and I wanted a grown up look, but didn’t know how to get that on my own. I told myself one day I would hire a graphic designer to work with on a new logo. But six years came and went and I never pursued working with a graphic designer.
Finally, this past spring, I had had it with my website. I knew it was time for a change. I knew it was time to put the big girl panties on and step out on a limb. I knew I wanted a clean, professional look to my logo and website, and I finally came to terms with myself that I, on my own, would never make that happen.
Several months ago, a friend reached out, looking for women business owners to interview for her business’ website, Grow Web Marketing. I agreed and answered a few questions about photography and being a woman business owner. You can read it here if you are interested. The whole experience got me thinking about re-branding. I knew it was time and I knew this was the company I wanted to use.
I contacted my friend Carmen with Grow Web Marketing and we set up a time to chat about my vision for a new logo and the types of things I am drawn to. She laid out the process for me and I knew exactly what to expect from her and what was expected of me.
We quickly created a pinterest board with my ideas the things that I was drawn to, whether it be patterns, or colors, fonts, logos, pictures, whatever struck my fancy, I pinned it to my board. Carmen also pinned things to the board and I could go in and let her know what I liked or disliked about it. This was a lot of fun and probably my favorite part of the whole process. I was so curious to see how the items I had picked out could be used to put a mood board together for a logo.
A few days later, I received my first brand board and I loved it on first sight. Carmen had nailed the look I was going for, and she made it look so easy! There was no way I could have come up with the look she did solely on my own; clearly, after six years of trying and failing I knew this was the right choice.
We discussed a few more things and then she went back to work on creating a logo. Again, a couple days later I received several different mock ups for a possible logo. These were sent in black and white and gray so I could focus on the logo itself. We would worry about colors later.
Once I had picked out a logo, the rest was pretty easy, at least on my part. I received several business card designs to choose from and we modified a couple into the final look. I also received a design for thank you cards.
Here is the final board with everything that we worked on. I say “we”, I really mean Carmen. She did all the hard work, it was really fun on my end!
I have to say, this was a great decision and one I wish I had made sooner. I finally feel like I have a grown up and unified look with my marketing materials and a color scheme that really suits me. I am slowly working on making over the website, but as you can see I’ve got a solid head start on it. Just be patient with me as I work out some kinks and finalize a few more pages.
Seriously, please contact the ladies over at Grow Web Marketing if you are looking for business advice, a re-brand, a new website, or to improve your overall business. They were so easy to work with and always responding quickly to my requests or emails. I highly recommend them and look forward to working with them again in the future!
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