A (mini) brand refresh for Studio L
The new website is up!
Well, hello all! Remember me?! 😅I know, it’s been pretty quiet around these parts lately. Heck, my last post was almost 4 months ago! 😱BUT, fear not. I’m back and ready to come at you with some fresh inspiration. 🙌🏼One of the main reasons for my hiatus is I’ve been working behind the scenes on a mini refresh of my own brand–Studio L Design. I thought I’d share my thoughts on why I’ve decided to update and talk about the process of re-branding.
Let me begin by giving you a brief history of Studio L. In 2001, while working full-time at an ad agency (and still working there, BTW), Studio L came to life out of a personal desire to work on different creative projects than I worked at my 9-5. It gave me more creative freedom, was a great way to make some extra cash AND I could call my own shots. Over the past 18 years (gah!), my brand has evolved and changed many, many times, as it should. My last major re-brand was in 2016 which may not sound that long ago, but it’s long enough in the design world for a creative brand to start feeling dated and flat. After following various other designers I admire and really looking at my competition, I decided it was time to not only update my brand look, but also rethink my brand strategy in order to attract my ideal clients.
Branding for a cafe–a personal project
Before I began the design process, I first did a deep dive on defining who I am as a brand, who my ideal client is and how I should be communicating with them. Once I identified these things, I began updating my look. I wasn’t going to start from scratch because I like much of what I did for the last re-brand but it just needed a little tweaking. I started with refining my logo, creating new cards (yes, people still need business cards!) and then moved on to my website. The new site is still a work in progress, but I’m really happy with the initial phase. (Progress over perfection–remember that because it’s soooo true if you ever want to move forward in business or life in general!) I’m now working on some new social media templates and various patterns that I can have in a brand toolbox to use as needed.
New business cards
As a designer, it’s super fun and exciting to work on your own stuff, but it is also excruciatingly hard! Hard because you are constantly second-guessing yourself and wondering if what you’re creating is going to resonate with (your) people. Hard because you are inspired by other successful designers styles but you need to stay true to who you are first and foremost. For example, one of the designers I follow, who does beautiful work, has a very distinct brand look. It’s boho with a color palette of pinks and oranges and it fits her personality perfectly. If I tried to create a similar look for me, it just wouldn’t feel right. I’ve always been a neutral palette girl with pops of black, so I’m sticking with that because it feels right for me.🖤
So, there you have it. Studio L is evolving (again) and I’m sure it won’t be the last time. 😂I’d love to hear your feedback on the new look! Throw your comments below. I also wrote a post on the importance of good branding here.
