project overview
Hello! My name is Pacie Carroll and I am a Visual Emphasis. 18 Day Brand-Build: the press is an 18-day creation process where I made something new every single day. For this project, I wanted to create a brand that I would like to have someday, a dream job that I would like to have and produce the branding for. My dream job is to start my own yoga studio.
I chose to make the brand identity and potential products that would be sold there.
project goals
Every yoga studio, product, and brand looks the exact same. Same color palette, same poses, same illegible fonts. I wanted to create my own to showcase variety in my creative process and put more thought and reasoning behind it. I wanted to create a business that brought the gospel into it, because that it something that continues to drive me to do yoga.
I wanted to create things that all felt the same, that had compatible colors and was cohesive as a brand but didn’t have the same logo or print on every product. I wanted symbolism to shine through more than anything.
initial process and sketches
This process started out with an idea, which turned into sketches. Many sketches. There were some products and ideas that I sketched before I started the project, and others I sketched the day of. I focused on the logo, letter mark, and business cards for my business first. I wanted to have a yoga business that didn’t scream ‘yoga,’
I wanted to pull from biblical symbolism and parables that would tie into my favorite part of yoga, the principles of the Atonement and my favorite aspect; the olive branch. I gave this idea to my mentor, and we were able to have a really enlightening conversation. I had an initial idea, and my mentor provided me feedback that helped me push further in my ideas and really reach for more symbolism. Extending yourself an olive branch, giving it to others, going through a refining process of pure grit and effort to be gifted with something pure after, the purification of olive oil. That is what I love, and that is what I wanted to showcase.
days 1-3
On days 1-3, I focused on establishing the brand. I made a color palette, found the text that would be used for all branding, and the brush that I would use for every visual. I took the logo to my mentor, and he gave me feedback based on what I needed to fix and why. He explained it was busy and I needed to have less contrast of value, so I fixed that and made the leaves that were intertwining thicker.
days 4, 7, 10-12
On these days, I chose to make essential oil labels that could be sold at the store. I wanted to keep them as uniform as possible, while still giving them contrast through colors. I kept the same font and brushes used for the logo.
These were super interesting to work through because I had a small amount of space with many thing I wanted to communicate and showcase.
days 5-6, 8-9
On these days, I wanted to make branded yoga mats and matching blocks. Most businesses and stores don’t sell these products together, and I really wanted to do this. I tried to make the mats simple, but not boring where they didn’t have any design or material on them. In doing this, I feel I over complicated the blocks to try and match, when looking back, I should’ve been more simple in the designs and not over complicated them. These designs were some of my least favorite, but not everyday is perfect.
day 13
This day ended up being one of my favorite designs. I felt like I really found what kind of ‘vibe’ my target audience would want, while still including something that felt like it belonged from the brand I made. I wanted this design to stand out from other yoga branded shirts, but still be true to the brand.
day 14
On day 14, I wanted to refocus on the brand and what the customers might want and what would help them in their yogic journey. I reflected on my own, and wanted to make a journal where they could keep track of everything they ever wanted to have written down.
I felt like I could’ve pushed this design further, but I wanted to make a journal that not everyone has. I took inspiration from different styles and layouts.
day 15
Day 15 was when I made the branded tote bag. Looking back, this is another design where I felt I could’ve pushed the limit more, found a way to make it more symbolic and not just have the logo on it. I would change this design, but it does pair well with the rest of the branding and vibe of the company.
day 16
Thinking more about the company and what it would need to get people to come to classes, I decided to make a class invitation template of what an invite could look like. I tried many different styles and layouts, not sure what direction to take it.
day 17
I chose to make a mock up of what their website homepage could look like. I wanted to stick with a simple, earthy vibe but that was easy to read, navigate, and get where one needed to go. I wanted to keep it simple and keep with colors, objects, and text.
day 18
For the final day of this project, I chose to make postcards that could be available for people to take and give to others, or to send it out to potential customers. I wanted this last day to be the cherry on top, the final say for the company and brand. I felt like this design really put all of the designs together.
project summary
I was very happy with the outcome of this project. I didn’t think it would be as challenging both skill wise and creatively as it was, but the lessons I learned during this project were very valuable. I learned to make a brand stand out and different, a lot of time and thought need to be put in. The reward of a well-thought out, well designed brand is worth the time it takes to put into it. Another thing I learned throughout this project was that it takes a lot more to brand something thoughtfully than just putting a logo on something. There were days of this project where I felt I could’ve pushed harder and thought more creatively about it and executed symbolism better on certain products. If I were to go back on this project, I would focus even more on the ‘why,’ and continue to plan better with my target audience in mind.
I really enjoyed doing this project and everything I learned along the way. It was interesting to see what I could connect between things I love and how I could execute them in a new, creative way. I felt that my skills were pushed, and I learned so much during this project.