Always Creating
I have to admit, I was pretty excited when I was approached by Rachel Tyler to help her develop the branding for her new fantasy-inspired crafting blog, Always Creating. Who would have thought being a huge fantasy nerd would serve me in my business later on!? The mission of Rachel’s blog is to provide herself and others with an excuse to be creative on a regular basis. She wants to build a community for fellow creators where they can share ideas and collaborate on their creative endeavors.
Deliverables:
Mood Board
Custom Logo Design
Alternative Logo Design
Favicon Design
Color Palette Development
Branding Style Guide
Rachel explained that her blog is going to include DIY tutorials for a wide variety of creative activities like sewing, knitting, crocheting, baking, and crafting; and each project will also build in some kind of “nerdy” element from different fandoms. She has been particularly inspired by literary fandoms, so I wanted to capture the same sense of warmth, comfort, adventure, and joy you feel when you can escape into whatever magical universe is contained within the clean, simple pages of a book. Ultimately, my challenge here was to balance the familiar feel of text on a page with the imaginative whimsy they inspire within the mind of the reader. I also needed to balance the traditional “DIY crafting” elements of her blog with the more unique, nerdy ones.
To strike this balance I played with the use of typography, symbolism, and color. I paired a softer slab-serif font somewhat reminiscent of a typewriter with a bold, quirky script. For those of you who are also fantasy nerds like me, you’ll recognize the nod to the Harry Potter fandom with the choice of the word “Always” in the name of her blog. So for the primary imagery, I’ve associated “Always” with the silhouette of Harry’s wand, while subtly integrating the crafting element of the sewing needle into the word “Creating.” The sewing needle and wand compliment each other nicely in terms of shape and form.
The overall aesthetic for this brand is feminine, modern, a little whimsical, and utilizes warm neutral tones. It has just the right amount of quirkiness and gives off a comforting, bookish vibe. To me it feels like drinking a hot cup of tea and curling up to knit or read your favorite book on a cozy couch. For the primary color palette, I was inspired by the colors that you find throughout the first few Harry Potter booksーautumnal colors like maroon, tans, creme, and a bold accent color of teal (or what I like to call “Patronus” because why not).
I couldn’t be more thrilled with how the branding for Always Creating turned out! Rachel will be launching her blog later this year, so make sure to check back here to see when I post an update about when her Squarespace website will be live. I know you’ll want to subscribe to see all of the delightfully nerdy projects she’ll be sharing!
Want to learn more about working together?
Tell me a bit about your project and we can schedule your free 30 minute consultation!