Thesis II -Week 7

There was still some leftover finalizing to do from last week (which is good, I want to really take time to get the branding right) There were also a lot of details and questions that needed answering....

1. logo (finalized) knocked off a bit from the first x

What size should my tag line be in relationship to my logo?

logo & tag line scale (looking at other brands for scale of tag line in comparison to logo)

I keep going back to Cat & Jack because it's my favorite logo ever, I love the treatment of it and that it's not always with the tag line.

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2. manifesto -finding the voice

Researched examples of mission/tag lines:

I spent a long time researching other similar companies and their branding to get a sense of what elements I was missing and how their mission influenced their line. I found this site extremely helpful: http://aeolidia.com/project-types/logos-brand-identity/

since sometimes it's tricky to find brand guides for big companies (since they are top secret)

Looking to see how other's use voice in their mission statements: this was a bit too corporate but helpful

https://www.missionstatements.com/apparel_retailer_mission_statements.html

Since I'm seeking a smaller, target market- I looked to etsy and zulily to see what their mission statements sounded like.

mudpie (company that is similar to nix-nux, offering three different lines)

A company I happen to love.... looking into the way they frame their products since they have many different kinds.

www.mud-pie.com

Mud Pie is a lifestyle brand that creates delightful gifts to inspire all of life’s sparkling moments. Our aim is to add laughter, inspiration & joy to every day celebrations. Every piece designed is inspired by all of life’s sparkling occasions. From holiday happenings to every day celebrations, Mud Pie has a gift fit for the moment. Mud Pie products are created for the fashion forward gals, the entertainers, the home decorators, the mommas and their little ones, and most importantly, for the ladies that enjoy the finer moments in life. The company’s designers create delightful products that are sure to earn many compliments and turn heads. Mud Pie has something for everyone across its three lines of product – Fashion, Kids, and Home.

Blue Eyed Sunshine, not just a name, it’s the essence of life’s feel goods… family, happiness, love, light, legacy and passion.

Princess and the Pea brings back timeless and classic designs for our sweet little ladies. Princess and the Pea was inspired by the birth of my first-born daughter. I found it difficult to find unique dresses for her, so I decided to make my own business to help other mothers clothe their little girls like the princesses they are.

Clothing and Accessories for little ladies ages 3 months - 10 years.

nix nux (I want sewing verbiage in description- still needs work):

Spirited, bold, folksy — those are some of the words we'd use to describe this collection. But more than anything nix nux is a line made up of threads that connect us to the past.

Playful, bold, comfy — those are some of the words we'd use to describe this collection. But more than anything nix nux is a lifestyle brand stitching together the past and the present.

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3. colors (finalized, obviously as I design these may change, but this is the starting point)

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4. type (finalized)

I spent a lot of time researching other similar lifestyle brands online and in their lookbooks on https://issuu.com the way they use type and their type choices and combinations.

I am very happy with my final type choices!

Type is tricky to be 100% on until you start really laying out lookbook- so I decided to take the Hunter Bee lookbook and substitute my new type choices in it to see how they look in the wild. I really loved the Filson for body copy, that sassy R is killing me! However, Nixie and Herb I didn't like as large headlines. Nixie only has one weight and Herb just looks weird. I decided I really loved the way the script font went with the sans serif in the Hunter Bee viewbook, I think that would look nice in this one as well. I chose fontbox lemonade and also jubilat for headlines.

So here's the final decision with samples from a viewbook layout....

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5. tagline (finalized)

newfangled folksy goods

I loved newfangled folksy goods, but I was worried that folksy made it sound like almost authentic.

I want that middle word to convey authentic, I think folk works well too. Can't loose the newfangled or goods, love them so much! But I tried "newfangled folk goods" and it was too boring, so I came back around to "new fangled folksy goods" like a dog chasing it's tail.

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New this week:

WK 7 | 10/8-10/14 branding:

Quick Brand Guide
hang tags
special hangers
illustration sketches

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1. Quick Brand Guide (work in progress)

I've been working on a quick brand guide, mostly for me to refer back to while designing, but also to be displayed as part of the thesis exhibition in a small section that exhibits my process. I really loved this example of a quick brand guide that I found so I'm using it as a template for my brand. So far it's about halfway there.

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2. hang tags (work in progress) I actually think I want a super simple hang tags printed on watercolor paper (1). But below was me playing around with different shapes and colors.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. special hangers (work in progress)

I LOVE this idea of hangers with faces.... this eliminates the need for mannequins.... I just love them. This would be so fun to do different characters from the patterns as hangers. Or just laser burning the face into the wood and not making it a color.