branded by delphine: mediterranean cruise

This is one of the more unusual logo projects I’ve ever done. A regular client is headed off for a big birthday celebration private cruise with her husband and their friends, and she wanted a logo to help brand the trip. I had a lot of fun doing the research, and came up with an anchor as the main theme for the logo. I incorporated classic nautical hues: navy blue, foul weather gear yellow, and squid ink black, as well as a fun bright yellow stripe pattern. 

I found some fabulous nautical tote bags, complete with painted rubber bases and real rope handles, at Lands End, and had the logo embroidered onto them. Of course we had to embroider the logo onto a few beach towels and terry cloth shirts for all the guests, too.

Watch out, Marina. I may stow away yet! 

logo crush: domestica

I first spied Domestica’s fabulous logo via a Tweet. It’s difficult to make a little 50 pixel square stand out, but they’ve done it for sure! After I saw their avatar I HAD to click through to their website. It was love at first sight, and their logo has been sitting in my inspiration folder on my desktop for about a year now. I love the color palette, the use of transparency, the perfect font choice. So fresh and retro at the same time. 

I emailed the shop owner, Chrissy Jensen, for a little more info about the logo and was surprised to hear that she came up with the concept herself. It looks like it was commissioned by a fancypants agency, right?!? Here’s what she said: 

The logo was inspired by the 60’s artwork for a chemical. I didn’t really think about using a bird til I noticed that the symbol looked like a two sides of a heart overlapping. I loved that it was a heart if you put it back together. The colors just happened to be the colors I wanted, too. I turned it on its side  (if you look at my logo sideways, you might see where I was going) and added a bird head and beak.  You Work For Them had just posted a few new fonts, including Lodge - it was perfect, so I bought it.

That was it.  I thought it was pretty good, but wanted to run it by my friend, Joe Williams. His wife, Danelle, and I were originally going to open Domestica together and we spent SO much time coming up with the name + had spent hours looking at logos and I just trusted their judgement. Joe said it was a good start, but thought if I left him with it for a few, he’d if he couldn’t refine it a bit. He designs a ton of stuff, including a lot of the flyers for Craft Saturday, a craft show they run here in Des Moines, so I totally wanted his help.  What he sent back is the logo we have today. 

I owe him so much thanks because I really believe that our logo opened a lot of doors and gave people a lot of confidence in us when we were nothing more than an idea and a signature on a storefront lease. People comment on it all the time and I love how it looks on the store window. Some people call it the Partridge Family bird, but I like to think it would fit in your hand like a Dove. For Christmas, Joe designed a wreath sticker for us using a repeat of the bird.  It was beautiful.

Photos courtesy Domestica

ADORE what Chrissy said about the logo opening doors for her new business. I whole heartedly agree that a good logo inspires confidence and helps get a new venture off the ground. This is something I’m constantly telling my clients.

Needless to say, I have a huge crush on the Domestica logo. Isn’t it lovely? Don’t you wish you lived in Des Moines so you could go visit in person? If that’s not convenient, you can shop online for modern home décor, paper goods, art and gifts. Check out their cool blog, too, for some fun inspiration. 

sneak peek: nautical anchor logo project research

Images via Pinterest

I’m working on a new logo project for a client who is planning a private cruise around the Med this summer. Here’s a time I would seriously not mind working for trade! I was doing some cruising around Pinterest and started noticing fun nautical items, so I started an inspiration/mood board for my client. Normally this is something I do in a sketchbook — which makes it difficult to share with a client who lives thousands of miles away. How I ever lived without Pinterest is a mystery to me now! It’s so convenient for sharing images with clients.

Four logos shown above can be seen on my Project Marina inspiration board. Top left: distressed anchor logo by Jon Contino (via Grain Edit); Top right: Mustard yellow anchor logo also by Jon Contino; Bottom Left: Sea Salt Society logo by Trademark Trademark; Bottom Right: Vintage label found via LovelyPackage.

"green" logos by Delphine

I was just finishing up the logo I designed for Little Green Beans (we have yet to finalize the shade of green, but the mark is done) and realized I have designed logos for three companies with the word “Green” in their name. Just another reason why green is my very favorite color.

designed by delphine for isabella smith country store

Thought you’d like a peek at some of the projects I have worked on this year. These were all designed for one of my all time favorite (and my only Danish) clients: Isabella Smith. I designed that cute (if I do say so myself) logo for her Isabella Smith Country Store, too. The logo is a sketch of the building where she works. How lucky is she to work in such an amazing environment?!?!! A couple of my favorite projects haven’t made it into the photo studio just yet (dozens of seed packets) or into production yet (eco-friendly cleaning products, a series of pretty mugs, some café au lait bowls …) but I’ll post photos as soon as everything gets wrapped up.

reminder: you can click on just about any photo on the blog to see it larger.

logo crush: holly lecours

I have a crush on the Holly Lecours Interior Design logo, designed by the extraordinarily talented David Lecours, creative director at LecoursDesign. All of David's work has a restrained, understated elegance that I truly admire. LecoursDesign provides marketing and brand communications guidance, specializing in architecture, engineering, and construction firms.

"Holly also does professional organizing within her interior design projects, so the efficiently stacked chairs/lowercase h's have double meaning," David says about the logo.

I extend extra special props to David for this logo, because designing for family (Holly is David's wife) is most definitely NOT the easiest thing to do.

David is also a wonderful coach and speaker. If you're in the San Diego area, look into his upcoming Brand You seminar, which promises to be a "seminar of awesomeness." From the seminar description: An authentic personal brand is the epicenter from which all your marketing activity should reverberate.

Awesome job, David!

logo crush (ed): gap

I am so not loving the new Gap logo. I'm not the only one (read this Advertising Age article).  I'm not saying the old logo was perfect, but the new one is lame.

 

UPDATE 10/11/10: Gap Inc. announced it will return to the old logo, and also admitted that the crowdsourcing idea (to replace the new logo) was a bad idea. Read the Gap press release.

shop we love: sweet paper

It sort of goes with out saying, but I absolutely LOVE stationery shops. Even more so when they are beautifully curated, like Sweet Paper is. Here are a few photos from their very fist day that they were open.

 Sweet Paper founders (and sisters) Theresa Anderson (left) and Julie O'Brien (right).

A very happy customer.

All photos ©Delphine.

branded by delphine: sweet paper

I'm thrilled for sisters Julie O'Brien and Theresa Anderson, as they celebrate the opening of their fabulous new stationery store, Sweet Paper, in La Jolla, California.

Coming up with the logo turned out to be the easy part. One part sweet (but not saccharine), one part strong (but not tough), one part frame (but not heavy) ... established in 2010. Done.

The difficult part was agreeing on a color palette fit for a darling stationery shop a few blocks from the beach. After long discussions and lots of ideas (lilac! aqua! turquoise! navy! yellow!) we landed on beautiful melon and warm sandy grey for the color palette. I absolutely love how it turned out. I'd love to hear what you think. And I'd also love it if you would visit their store in La Jolla when you're in the neighborhood. You won't be sorry!

We letterpressed all of the business cards and stationery (of course) in beautiful melon and grey inks, and added a signature pattern to the back of the business cards. To finish off the look, all the corners were rounded. Sweet, don't you agree?

all design and photos ©Delphine

in the press: the tooth keri logo

Yay! The darling "Tooth Keri" logo I designed for Dr. Nazli Keri, a pediatric dentist, was recently published in Logo Lounge's newest collection: "LogoLounge Master Library: 3,000 Animal and Mythology Logos."

I couldn't resist sharing Dr. Keri's partner in crime's logo, too. If you live in Southern California and need a pediatric dentist or orthodontist, swoop in to visit The Super Dentists! Your kids will thank you.

inspired by pbr: a logo design

I am in the final stages of an identity design for a new gift boutique (sorry, no more details just yet ... you'll just have to wait for their big announcement). Along the way, the circle seal logo shown above was a concept in the running, though they ended up choosing something entirely different. (That is not the real name of the company, by the way).

The identity idea is a modern take on a bakeshop (no, the boutique will not sell baked goods). We tossed around some fun bright colors, like red, tangerine, and kelley green. But when I did the navy blue mockup it was immediately my favorite. And it reminded me of something, but couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Later it occurred to me that it looks a bit like the Pabst Blue Ribbon logo. Funny how that happens sometimes, isn't it? We're constantly being bombarded by advertisements so it's no surprise that some of the strongest looks end up in our collective consciousness (and in our work).

logo crush: east village

I love this logo for East Village, a fab Asian diner in Encinitas, California. It's wonderful, fresh and quirky, just like the yummy food they serve. The robot's hand dots the "i." Cuuute.

logo crush: blue marble ice cream

I have yet another logo crush. Don't you just love the simplicity of the Blue Marble Ice Cream logo? I think the bright blue color is awesome -- crisp and refreshing and totally different from all the pink and reds that are usually associated with ice cream brands. I spotted one of their ice cream carts at the Brooklyn Flea Market and had to sneak a shot of the scene. 

in the press: here comes the bride logo

Many thanks to Logo Lounge for choosing the Here Comes The Bride logo that I designed for their new book, "Logo Lounge Master Library: 3,000 Initial and Crest Logos."

logo crush: ace hotel

Yes, this logo is prety simple. But that's why I love it so. I've already professed my admiration (see here) for the New York Ace Hotel, but forgot to post this photo I took of the door. So voila, another logo crush.