The Making of a Logo

I’d been thinking about a new logo for my brand for a long time. Actually, I think it’s been a few years now. I just couldn’t get the right combination before now. Besides the old one looked just fine. So why did I want to change it? 

It just wasn’t telling my brand story anymore. My business has evolved, and I wanted to be more descriptive and more artistic with the branding. I also wanted some color as opposed to the black and white theme. It wasn’t until we moved last fall that I started to get some new ideas. 

I love to go to a nearby state park that is all red stone, joshua trees, and scrub brush, because it’s so still and calm. I wanted that concept to be a part of my new brand image. What better thing to share with people right now than a way to get centered and peaceful in the middle of all the chaos we now live in. 

I started to play with some logo illustrations late last year, but nothing was really working. The beginning of 2022 came and went. I completed some really big projects by the end of spring, and that’s when it all started coming together for me. 

I was painting desert botanicals when I realized I could incorporate nature into my logo. It’s great that I was inspired by the desert, but how to tie in the octopus theme? I thought about changing my business name, but I really like it, and it’s established now. 

When I saw illustrations of some aloe plants, it hit me. It reminded me of an upside-down octopus, and an aloe vera plant at the same time. It was perfect! Actually, I felt a bit silly for not seeing it before… 

Now, I knew I had my logo image concept, but what about lettering? I really wanted a new look, so I started to play with brushstrokes in procreate. Although watercolor is my favorite, procreate is still great for inspiration and quick idea sparking.

When I painted with one brush in particular, I knew that was the one! I ended up keeping the old font for the block lettering on the bottom which is great. It still feels connected to the old logo without looking anything like it. From there, all it took was some hours of sketching and lettering to make sure everything was perfect and here we are! I'm super happy with my new logo and I feel it represents me so much better than the old one did. 

Would you consider creating your own branding? Have you done it? I'd love to hear about it either way! Let me know in the comments below.