by Fiona Humberstone on February 18, 2010 · 0 comments
“This week” might be stretching things a bit, we designed this gorgeous logo for cafe, Root or Berry several months ago, and with the Flourish rebrand I’ve just been too busy to blog about it. But I love the logo and identity and so I couldn’t not share it with you!
Root or Berry is a new take on the juice bar/ salad bar concept. A small outlet on Guildford’s North Street, Root or Berry creates fresh juices, smoothies, soups and salads from fresh, raw ingredients of your choice. Fancy a vegetable soup with crispy croutons to take away? No problem: pick your raw veggies (either according to your own tastes or the suggestions on the menu board) and they’ll whizz you up a fresh and nutritious steaming soup in a matter of minutes.
Entrepreneur Chris Connor (we’ve worked with him at Pews, The Farriers, The Albany and the Squirrel) approached Flourish to create a fresh and engaging identity that would help Root or Berry stand out in a town that’s full of cafe and restaurant chains.
We identified from the brief that Root or Berry would best fit into the Autumnal palette. Earthy, strong, community and people centric as well as wholly natural, Autumn seemed like the logical step. And so the intense, muted burgundy and the zingy (but still muted) green were a great starting point for the design.
The icon (slices of fruit) was the one concept out of all the ideas we showed Chris that stood out the most for telling the Root or Berry story. I have to be honest, I don’t normally feel the need to “explain” what a company does in the logo, but the stacked fruit looked great and fitted so well with the concept that we just had to go with it.
The hand-sketched font represents the spontaneous, relaxed approach of Root or Berry but the slab serif keeps it rooted in reality and creates that important trustworthiness.
We also wanted to create a “stamp” that Chris could use on his sandwich bags and coffee cups. And so the Totally Pure stamp was born. Chris has also used this in the frosted window displays of the shop.
And here’s the stationery. Simple, clean and effective.
in Branding, Case Studies, Colour Psychology, Graphic Design, In The Studio This Week, Logo Design
by Fiona Humberstone on January 26, 2010 · 3 comments
I feel very qualified to write this post at the moment. As the owner of a brand and marketing agency I work with a lot of small business owners are missing opportunities because their logo (and brand image as a whole) isn’t sending out the right signals. And as someone who has just been client, creative director and designer (along with my other fabulous designers in the Studio) for her own business, I can see things from the other side too.
The fact is that you really shouldn’t design your own logo. Here are just five reasons why.
- You’re too close to it. Our clients tell us one of the most valuable things we bring to the table, aside from the design, is the perspective we help them gain on their business. Working with a branding agency on your corporate identity forces you to think about the way your business is structured and who your most profitable clients really are. Working with someone that’s not as close to your business as you will give you a different, and important, perspective
- It’ll cost you more than you think. You think that design agencies get their design for free? Woah there tiger, think again. I have spent thousands on developing the Flourish identity. How? The cost of my staff and the opportunity cost of both my designers and I working on our own staff rather than billable client work. And if you’re not a designer I really, really recommend you focus on what you do best and let us get on with what we do best. More profitable all round, and the end result will be better.
- Unless you’re a graphic designer it’s unlikely you’ll choose the right fonts or colours. I’ve studied typography, colour psychology and logo design for years, as have my graphic designers. We understand how to evoke an emotion through a colour or a font. Are you confident that you can really send out the right signals with what you choose?
- You probably won’t add the creative flair your business deserves. Great logos have wow factor. Something simple, but clever. And I don’t mean a Photoshop drop shadow (sooo nineties!) or a web 2.0 glassy reflection (oh so naughties). I’m talking a clever icon or creative treatment of your stationery that will get your clients taking you seriously.
- You’re too close to it. Being so involved in the design process makes it incredibly difficult to make objective decisions. In the end, the only way we broke through our creative block was for me to completely disassociate myself from the design and act as client and Creative Director only. Once your blood, sweat and tears are removed you can once again strive for perfection!
I see now why other design agencies commission someone to design the logo for them! In the end we managed to crack it ourselves, with a few pep talks from family, friends and colleagues. But it was tempting to sub it out. And I have to say, I’m delighted with the end result. But if you’re not a graphic designer I really, really urge you to invest in a professionally designed brand identity. It’ll be one of the best decisions you ever make.
in Branding, Colour Psychology, Graphic Design, Logo Design, Low Cost Marketing, Marketing
