Happy New Year! 

I hope you’ve had some down time during and after the festive season. I’ve had a very relaxed couple of weeks - spent on the South Coast of NSW and at home. Tomorrow I’m back at work and back at it! Hail to the day job!

During my down time I had the mind space to think about my brand, my logo and my story.  2020 was a year of growth for me and I’ve begun to establish myself as a product and food photographer. I’ve evolved in terms of my photography style and I felt that my logo and brand did not truly reflect my growth and direction. 

And, let’s be honest, 2021 is already in need of some major rebranding. It’s not evolving too much from what it was in 2020. 

New year . . . new branding!

I knew I had something special with the letter S at the start of my first name and surname (thanks Gary). I wanted a logo with the double S motif. I wanted my logo to be easily recognisable, reflect my brand’s message and stand out from the crowd across different channels and touch points. 

We all know the companies who have really raised the bar with their logo design. Companies like Nike, Target, Ikea, Chanel, Apple, Google, BMW, Coca Cola, goCore 😁, and McDonald’s are instantly recognisable.

Here are some examples I found on Pinterest.

This was my process:

1. I searched for design inspiration

   • I used Pinterest, Instagram, Adobe Creative Cloud and good ole Google for logo designs I was drawn to.

   • I got on with the job of learning about logo design, typography, colours, patterns and graphic design.

   • I developed my own brand board to showcase all my ideas. I was definitely drawn to particular colours, fonts and designs.

2. I experimented with colours that I believed reflected my brand

   • I knew I wanted a couple of bold colours and maybe pastel or two. I studied colour wheels - Canva and Adobe Color both have examples with a range of great resources.  

   • I learnt about colour combinations - complementary, monochromatic, analogous, triadic, this list goes on. Then there’s hue, saturation, shades, tints and tones. 

   • Initially, I narrowed my colours down to seven! Too many!!!

3. Then it was time to decide on my typeface

   • I was drawn to bold fonts that had a bit of a retro feel. I also decided that I wanted a serif typeface. In terms of typography, this was quite removed from what I had been drawn to previously. So what is Serif? In typography, a serif is a small line or stroke regularly attached to the end of a larger stroke in a letter or symbol within a particular font or family of fonts. A typeface or "font family" making use of serifs is called a serif typeface, and a typeface that does not include them is a sans-serif one

   • I found one I loved - thanks google! I downloaded and added it to my font folder on my desktop. 

4. Time to design

   • Gary and I sketched and brainstormed (can 2 brains make a storm? Don't answer that!) and sketched some more to come up with something unique.   

   • Not only did I have to come up with the concept and my own version of the double s motif, I had to learn how to design a logo in Photoshop - What. A. Steep. Learning. Curve!

After much experimentation plus trial and error, I have a new logo that aligns with the brand I’ve already built and am continuing to build. As with most of my photographs, it reflects my love of light, bright with pops of colour. I believe it has an easily recognisable graphic symbol that identifies me and my service. 

There are two colourways, incorporating my final FIVE colours. One is more playful and the other is a little more sophisticated and serious.

Will you be the judge?