What Goes Into Rebranding a Business?
The idea of Branding your business can be a pretty daunting; I mean, what really happens once you start the rebranding process with the help of a graphic designer or agency? I always explain my process to clients as we embark on a project together, but nevertheless, this blog post will explain the work involved in my latest branding project. I worked with Fire & Moon Dust Mystical Emporium on their exciting rebrand. This is a typical project for me, but I always like to keep in mind that each client is unique and so are their needs, so my process varies depending on the goals and requirements of the project.
Faye from Fire & Moon Dust Mystical Emporium
Fire & Moon Dust Mystical Emporium is run by Faye Alamango. With any branding project it is important to get a true understanding the client's business and their goals. A strong part of Faye's business ethos is that she is very honest and professional. Faye is a tarot reader, and openly explains that, contrary to what you might expect, she is not going to tell you how many children you'll have, tell you if a family member will recover from cancer, or tell you if the court will sentence you to 10 years in prison. That's something only your doctor or lawyer can answer. Her sessions, she explained, are more like consultations, based on the energies and tarot cards you pick, which will help you help gain clarity on important issues. Faye is also starting to stock her own mystical products to sell online. As her business is growing into other areas outside of tarot reading, it seemed essential to provide her with a brand that is as versatile and dynamic as she is.
Part of my process is an informal discussion with the client about the sorts of brands and images that inspire them, who their competitors might be, and how we can set the client's brand apart from those competitors. Faye kindly supplied some images for inspiration, including some tarot card designs, her sign and table cloth, and some works by an illustrator whose style she liked.
Visually, Faye is not your typical tarot reader either, she dresses in a modern and youthful way and isn't a fan of the witchy look which is synonymous with tarot readers. I wanted this to come across in her brand too, creating something that is much more contemporary than the typical branding associated with businesses like this, which tends to be a little old fashioned and plagued by swirly typefaces.
The next step was sketching out some ideas until something started to look interesting and worth developing. Incorporating the fire and moon elements was important as the business name came from Faye's fascination with the moon and its link to the devine feminine mysteries (which is related to astrology) and her star sign is Aries which is a fire element, so the name was a combination of those two elements.
Next, I selected a series of suitable colour palettes inspired by the images Faye had directed me to, and referred to them as I began to develop the logo concepts I had sketched out. I wanted to keep the colour scheme bold and contemporary to stand out from Faye's competitors and represent her vibrant style. Sometimes I end up with many options for the client to choose from, presenting them with 2-4 options they are able to whittle down to their favourites - but with this project, the symbol I had developed seemed so strong, and exactly what the business required, so I felt confident showing this as the primary option.
Then Faye received a presentation PDF explaining the choices I'd made for her brand thus-far, and presenting the options I had come up with, I assure my clients that anything can be evolved or amended to suit their tastes. Faye got to choose between four colour options including a more 'safe' option that was less of a dramatic change for her business.
Faye is also working on an online series called Gypsy and The Devil, which already has a pilot episode. She required an animated logo that would go at the start of the episodes. Follow the link on the button below to see the final logo including the animated version.
“Abby was very fast and on point with coming up with a logo that matched what I was looking for. She really does understand her client’s needs and I’m very impressed and pleased with the final product. I can’t thank her enough!”
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Also, big shout out to Spectrum Noir for kindly gifting me some of their products to try out. I primarily used their art liner pens for this project and was so impressed, they offer a cheaper alternative to a lot of big stationary brands, but don't skimp on quality. They provide many art and design supplies including alcohol and watercolour markers.
If you are considering getting a brand refresh or rebrand, please email hello@iamabbytaylor.com or fill in the contact form on the Contact page.