Branding services.

The process of branding can be a bit overwhelming if you don't know what to expect.

Knowing what to expect throughout the process and why the process is valuable and worth your dollars and time is essential. Kristin has built her process from 20 years of experience designing and shaping brands for a wide-array of clients. The easiest way to understand what you can expect is to see it in action. So let's go!

Version 1.

Creating brand concepts that are unique to you.

Your story is unique, and it deserves to have branding that is special, and created just for you. But what this branding looks like can be different; that is why the two-concept method is what Kristin uses when branding.

"Why two concepts? Some designers offer 4-8 designs, and that seems like I'm getting more for my money!"

More concepts may seem like it would be better. In reality, receiving too many concepts is often overwhelming, and not as much time is put into each design. As a client, it can be hard to pick when you have so many options, and nothing seems like it is quite right. That is why you hire an expert in the first place, to make your life easier and tell you what the best design for your brand is.

When Kristin develops two concepts, she spends time researching your industry and sketching to determine what the two best designs to show you are. On top of that, when she presents your brand to you, you aren't just going to see a logo; you are going to get a moodboard, supporting colour palette, secondary icons, and insight into how your brand will respond to your needs.

Below is a sample of an actual client with branding developed using this method.

Fairbanks Forge & Farriery.

About the Client:

Jess Fairbanks specializes in the time-honoured tradition of horseshoeing. This highly skilled field is an art form and Jess truly cares about getting to know every client and animal she works with. Within her field, most don't invest much time or energy into their branding, but Jess wanted to do things differently. She wanted something:

that people would proudly wear on a shirt or a hat, and that felt like an accurate representation of her
icon-based that could live independently without the name attached and still represent her brand
open-ended enough that she could use it for her artwork if she ever wanted to.

Concept 1.

Forged in fire. Crafted by hand. This concept is inspired by the hands behind the Fairbanks Forge & Farriery brand. The overall branding features distressed edges and a mixture of serif and sans serif typefaces to give this brand a feeling of old meets new. The main icon captures the craft that goes into every piece that Fairbanks Forge and Farriery create. The logo is versatile in that it can represent any work that the brand moves into. Whether it be farriery or metal art, this icon embodies the process that goes into every piece created. The supporting brand marks allow for more specific imagery to farriery to be used and build out a full-body brand.

Drawing inspiration from the shapes and iconography of traditional tattooing, this design features a horse as the leading brand icon. Using a horse as the main brand icon allows us to nod to the roots of the Fairbanks brand and who you work with on a day-to-day basis and pull on the characteristics that horses are known for as part of the brand identity: strength, intelligence, and determination. The overall linework style of this design has an artistic touch to it and connects back to the artistry that goes into every piece that Fairbanks Forge & Farriery creates. With strength and artistry at the heart of every creation, Fairbanks Forge & Farriery is a step above the rest.

Concept 2.

responsive branding.

We've made your tweaks, tucks and plucks to your chosen design. Now we move to final files.

Ensuring your final brand artwork will work for you and meet your needs is critical. That is why Kristin uses responsive branding. In the concepts above, you will see responsive branding mentioned and see how each design includes various layouts.

We live in a day and age where your logo will be applied to many different surfaces. From signage on a building to a golf ball on the green, no one logo layout will work successfully across all applications. That is why it is essential to have a variety of configurations and colour formats for your brand to ensure it is constantly looking its best while still meeting your needs. This is called responsive branding. See below for the responsive branding variations for the Fairbanks Forge & Farriery brand.

Responsive Branding

In The end.

You have your logo, you have all your supporting assets, but how do you use them?

Don't worry! Part of the branding services package is a brand guide. This will show you all your logo formats, supporting brand marks, colour palette, brand fonts, moodboard in one location. On top of that, it provides guidance on the dos and do-not's of how to use your logo. For each of the colour formats and file types included, there is a section explaining each and where they are best used.