The visions I’ve had for the last 5 years have come to life.
It took me pretty much my whole art career up to this point to learn the complexity behind simplicity and minimalism, but I finally got myself in a position where I could put the meaning and the craft all together. The results were two logos that have been branded in the way that I have been envisioning on mockups for 3 years since this blog started.
The Whale
We did business with Range Leather in Laramie, Wyoming and this was a decision that was much more of a personal interaction than I could have imagined. I generally was under the impression that I would place my order and it would be nothing more than writing card information and looking at a few mockups.
But that was far from the truth!
The employees at this company were so intent about making this idea come to life that they were willing to have in-depth conversations with me through email, which would be vital in making these hats appear how they were envisioned 2 months ago.
Being located in the Rocky Mountains, it felt like this business had a niche with the general target audience that I am trying to sell these hats to, which can be people who are passionate about the outdoors but more specifically, the truly adventurous people who enjoy viewing scenery on a boat in the middle of a lake, river or ocean. This product will also represent other outdoor products such as coats and bags in future projects.
Not only are Range Leather products fashionable (see website link below this section), but they have that simple artistic feel that comes with a monochromatic design seen in this particular project. The general themes of Range include mountains and wildlife, which plays into the brand strategy and target audience of the whale. The whale itself is a symbol of watching nature’s beauty from a distance. It conveys the feeling of something that’s realistic, simple, clear and beautiful.
Their content in their product meant I was talking to like-minded individuals at all times. To make things even more convincing of their passions, their marketing team is currently considering lending me a hand in helping me sell these hats when I come up with new advertising ideas.
This great connecting experience is the reason I would like to use this post to provide links to their products (see below).
The Sign
Okay, the time had finally come.
I knew I was in a position where I could reasonably invest in this innovation project without too much pressure on my finances.
It was a Sunday afternoon. I had bookmarked the sign design on Etsy I was considering buying. I had a financial budget in place to have this built in May 2023. Having spent some cash on the hats and a few pins (see below), I was right on the brink of being over budget through spending money on products for our inventory. My gut instinct persisted, and I made a decision I definitely do not regret.
The electric sign had to be built. It was my vision and it came from geekishly looking through other known brands on Google and Instagram for the last 5 years. There were only 2 available on this site known as World of Sign and Logo (I unfortunately do not have a link to this site). Out of everything I had searched, this site had the most affordable sign that was closest to how I had pictured it in my mockups. Waiting sometimes is not in the best interest, especially when you’re supposed to do something and you’re in a state of hesitation and fear. The point is, we have to take our chances.
Almost instantly after I paid for the sign, a guy by the name of Efe was there to guide me through the process.
It felt like the previous project with the hats all over again as far as the customer service and personal interaction I received.
Every aspect including the lighting color, pantone numbers and sign style were taken into consideration. I emailed back and forth for around 4 hours on a Sunday afternoon and it was an experience I would never take back. That feeling of dopamine in my stomach was there and I felt as if I was directing my dream project for the first time. My goal is for this to only be a sign (no pun intended) of things to come, with luck not playing a factor in any of this picture.
That goal is to make this one of my first larger brands out of Urban Treehouse, with the soaps and logo building a strong brand presence possibly outside of the Quad Cities.
As I edited this post, I went back to pick up the box that the sign was delivered in. I felt a heavy metal flat object in the box and I pulled it out. Behold, this was not something I conceived or ordered, but a welcome sign built in customized typography was made to compliment the sign. I then remembered a Youtube video I saw that talks about how an entire structure can be built around a logo (link below photo). I highly recommend checking this out because it might make you look at branded architecture differently.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcF1KBnlvTc
What’s Next?
It’s hard to put into words to describe the feeling of something like this. It even took a few days upon getting each of these products to sink in. But experiencing something to this magnitude for the first time really stuck with me and it’s given me a greater feeling of assurance in my career.
The sign will be used on a merchandising display at our next artisan market in August. The hats will be sold online once we get the updates to our website made.
Until next time…