Hello & Welcome to an in-depth look into my 3-Week Client // Design process! We're in Week 02 which is all about the Identity Refinement + Collateral Design. If you're just joining in on the series - no worries - you can catch up on the Getting Started post and Week 01 below.
Let's jump right into everything that takes place during Days 06-10!
Day 06 Logo Variations // Patterns
The start of the week is dedicated to refining the logo created during Days 04 & 05 from Week 01, as well as creating the Logo Variations.
"Variations, what are those for?"
You'll have one main logo, but you'll need to have variations of it to account for different formats. For example, your main logo will very likely be on your website in either a horizontal or vertical orientation. Depending on your business card and other collateral items, which we'll get into at the end of this week, your logo could appear vertical or horizontal.
There's also the logo mark. This is a simplified version of your logo which is often used as an icon image or profile picture on social media sites. For example, the logo mark for The Classy Hippie is the peace sign hand symbol by itself without the words 'The Classy Hippie' accompanying it.
Pattern Designs are also allotted to Day 06 [and into Day 07 if necessary.] Although, not all branding projects require patterns. This is something that we will determine based on your client homework and the direction for the identity design of your brand.
Patterns come in handy for graphics you'll regularly need to create for Social Media, various print material, website graphics, packaging - you name it. They can play a role in any of your design elements.
I say they're not always required because some brands might use solid colors or more simple // minimalistic visuals for their brands - if that's the case for you, we'll skip over patterns and dedicate more time to the rest of your brand.
At the end of the day, I'll upload Logo Variations and Patterns to your private page for you to look over and comment on. If you have any comments or changes you'd like to see, I'll supply one round of revisions and adjust the designs based on your feedback.
The final designs will then be uploaded to your Private Client Page.
Day 07 // Brand Board
"Brand board? Didn't you already talk about a board in Week 01?"
Yes. During Week 01 I talked about the use of a Mood Board - you can read about that Here - and in Week 02 we put your Brand Board together. The difference between your Mood Board and Brand Board is...
Your Mood Board is composed of sources of inspiration compiled together to create the kind of aesthetic you're after for your brand and is used as a reference during the design process.
Your Brand Board is composed of all the design elements created specifically for your brand - like your color palette, your logo, your typefaces, maybe a few images to show for visual style, your patterns, etc.
This board lets you see your Brand in a snapshot and is a simple reminder of the individual elements that combine to create the identity design for your Brand. You can see an example of one in my post on The Classy Hippie branding Here.
Once this is completed, I'll upload your Brand Board, along with a .png image of it for you to share on your social media, to your Private Client Page.
Days 08 - 10 // Collateral Items
The last three days of the week will be dedicated to designing the three collateral items you have chosen. If you're wondering why I keep saying 'Collateral' because you've only heard that word in the context of needing collateral for a loan of some sort - no worries - I was the same the first time I heard it.
Collateral is simply a term for all of the physical items you'll need based on your client experience and workflow process [this is where your client homework that we discussed in the Getting Started post really comes in handy!]
For our 3-Week Branding process, you'll get to choose three items that are the most important to your business. This could be a business card, letterhead, gift card, clothing tag, Thank You card - whatever. You'll get to pick three from the list found on This page.
If you need something that's not on that list, we'll work through it on a case-by-case scenario. If it's an easy swap like wanting to have some social media graphics instead of a letterhead, that will most likely be possible. If it's an entire round of graphics for a campaign you want to run, or designing your food truck graphics - those will be broken out into a new project based on my second design package that you can find Here.
Over the course of the three days, I'll upload design concepts to your Private Client Page for you to review and comment on at any time. At this phase, I'll supply two rounds of revisions and upload the final designs at the end of the week.
This concludes the Brand Design part of your Complete Brand & Website Design package! Week 02 is over and you've got a complete and cohesive identity design with each element and aspect uploaded to your Private Client Page.
To wrap up the week, I'll send you your next invoice of $1,000 to be paid before we can start work on your website starting in Week 03. I'll also double check that you've sent me all of the copy & images you want to use for your brand new website via Dropbox. If anything is missing, I'll send you a reminder email to let you know what's needed before Week 03 can begin.
Remember, if you don't have any images for your site and want to organize a styled shoot, this is where we would push the pause button on your 3-week project. We'll start a new project to complete your styled shoot and pick up right where we left off once your images are in.
You can always do a shoot before we start so you don't have to push pause on the project, but if you don't have any images at all, I recommend inserting a styled shoot in the middle of your Custom Brand & Website Design package - that way your shoot will align with the new identity design and visuals of your brand that we've created in Weeks 01 & 02.
No need to worry, we'll figure all of this out during your Client Homework before we ever get started, that way we're not blindsided by at.
Once your invoice has been paid and all copy & images are in, we're ready to start Week 03 - your website!
In need of some Branding help? Find out more below.
What did you think? Was this helpful for you? Was there anything that needs further clarification? Please let me know in the comments below!
Love & Blessings,
Genevieve
P.S. Remember to follow me on Instagram to keep up with the LIVE, in real time design of Every Street CLT, happening for the next three weeks, so you can see this process in action!
