The Discovery Phase: Inspiration & Strategy

The single most important step of every brand I develop is the Discovery Phase. This exploratory exercise sets the tone for the entire branding process. It gives both me and my client clear goals to work towards, intentional marketing strategy, and curated inspiration to get excited about. I thought it might be nice to take a closer look at this essential step in building a meaningful brand, so here are the five key elements that make up every Discovery Phase.

1.     Goals & Vision. I’m a big believer in setting measurable goals and writing them down. This is the sort of practice that moves businesses forward. I like to apply goal setting to the branding process right off the bat, and figure out why we are actually going through all of this, and what we hope to achieve once it’s all complete.

Some helpful questions when figuring out what our goals for a branding project are:

• What is the state of my brand currently? What’s holding it back, and where would I like it to be?

• What values are at the heart of my business and my brand?

• What kinds of people am I most interested in connecting with?

• Where does my business fit into the competitive landscape, and how can I rise above it?

• How do I want my brand to make me feel? How do I want it to make others feel?

I like to set about five big goals when starting any branding project, and reference them often throughout the creative process. It’s always gratifying to look back on them at the completion of a project and see where we hit the mark, and then set ourselves up for future success as goals evolve.

2.     Target Audiences. Branding is all about connecting with others and telling your story, but first we need to identify exactly who we want to tell it to! This goes beyond demographics and geography, and takes into consideration the values, practices, and personalities of the people you are looking to connect with.

These are key questions we want to consider when identifying target audiences:

• What is their age, gender, location, and profession?

• What truly matters to them - what values do they appreciate in a brand?

• How do they typically shop for products and services?

• What other brands do they love?

• How do they communicate with peers?

• How do they learn about new products and services available?

• What challenges and frustrations do they have?

• How do they make decisions?

• What inspires them?

I usually develop about three personas to summarize our target audiences: three kinds of people we would absolutely love our brand to resonate with. This helps us envision who we will be telling our story to, and whether or not they can relate.

3.     Our Friendly Competitors. Being focused on local small businesses and farms, “friendly competitors” is a term I lovingly use when we are considering our competitive landscape. I’m a big believer in community over competition. But, without competition, let’s face it: there’s no marketplace! So when approaching a branding project, we always want to be very aware of what our industry neighbors are doing to market their brands and businesses.

When sizing up the competition, these are questions we ought to be asking:

• What are they doing right? What’s to love about this other brand?

• Where are their weaknesses?

• How are they engaging with their audiences?

• How is their brand different from our brand?

• What unique characteristics and advantages can we build on to set us apart from these competitors?

I like to divide competitors into three categories: brand crushes, local competition, and global competition. The global category usually identifies larger, corporate competitors that we don’t necessarily want to be like, but we realize it’s important to understand their marketing strategies.

4.     Keywords. Branding is often thought of as a very visual process, but I consider language to be just as important of a tool when developing an identity. The way we speak and write about our brand is directly influencing the way others perceive our brand. I find it helpful to come up with a long list of adjectives that we want to use to describe our brand. These words will go hand-in-hand with our visual inspiration, and will become integral to the way we tell our story in marketing materials.

Here are some examples of descriptors that often come up for all sorts of brands:

Friendly • Elegant • Playful • Bright • Bold • Timeless • Natural • Eco-Friendly • Rustic • Trusted • High Quality • Refined Subtle • Traditional • Down to Earth • Handmade • Classic • Approachable • Sophisticated • Warm • Modern

5.     Visual Inspiration. OK finally, the fun part – moodboards!!!! Or as I like to say, vision boards. It’s important when we’re starting a branding project to spend time developing a look and feel that resonates with you personally, but is also super relevant to your audiences. The vision board helps us marry those two things.

So, we collect all sorts of creative eye candy: graphics, logos, illustrations, photos, patterns, textures, colors, and typefaces, and bring them together in a way that illustrates our vision for the brand. This helps me immensely because it provides clear creative direction for when I start designing, but it will also help you envision what every piece of your brand should be aspiring towards. And no doubt – it will get you EXCITED about this process!

After all, this is an exciting process! Creating a brand should really be the fun part of doing business. After a thorough Discovery Phase, you will rest assured it will all stay fun, because we’ve set a clear, intentional strategy to drive the creative process towards success.

Branding: Wild Bramble Farm

The terms “pasture raised” and “free range” are thrown around a lot these days, but if you want to see what that should actually look like, take a drive up to Wild Bramble Farm in Northfield. You’ll come up a little driveway and find a farm that’s bursting with life and energy. Pigs snuffling their way through towering sunflowers, chickens strutting in and out of their coop, children chasing the chickens, and a puppy chasing the children.

At the center of it all is Chris and Shannon Goddard, who have been hard at work building a farm that embodies their values. And they’ve done a really good job. Offering pasture-raised pork products, cut flowers, and farm fresh eggs from their farm stand, the Goddards don’t cut any corners in producing humane, sustainable, fresh, and local farm products.

All photos by Megan Haley Photography

They thought it was about time to manifest this in their branding, and I was so excited when they reached out. It was clear to me Wild Bramble Farm was truly living and breathing the concepts of pasture raised and free range; they weren’t just taking these terms on as marketing jargon. We needed some branding that would illustrate that authentic story, and truly show customers what goes into producing food this way.

And boy, was I excited to make a pig logo. Pasture raised pork products are at the heart Wild Bramble’s labors, and their mindful, humane process makes for an exceptionally delicious and healthy product that you can feel good about (I can attest; there may have been a bacon exchange involved in this project). Capturing that ideal in a brand was the challenge here, and I love the way we ran with it, especially in the primary logo.

Integrating pigs and florals in a very folksy, rustic style, this logo was all about the energy, life, and joy that is present on the farm every day. It aims to be a true embodiment of the quality of life granted to every living thing on the farm, allowing each the freedom to be wild. This is a strong visual for what pasture raised ought to be, and tells the story of what it means at Wild Bramble Farm.

We developed lots of secondary logos, illustrations, marks, a palette, and patterns to help fully tell that story. I love the way it all integrated, coming together in not just an attractive way but in a very meaningful way, too.

We then applied this brand story to print materials and a fancy new website! We developed new labels for the pork products, a brochure for farm stand visitors explaining the farm’s practices, and shiny new business cards.

The website is where the farm’s story really came together in a coherent, interactive way. Visitors can take a visual journey through Wild Bramble Farm’s daily operations, learning more about their values, practices, and products - and of course order up some pork chops!

It was such a pleasure getting to know Shannon, Chris, and their beautiful family and farm throughout this process, and I had so much fun helping bring their story to life. We accomplished all this in partnership with CISA, who does such a fabulous job of connecting local farmers with resources to help them succeed. Local farms - reach out to CISA and see how they can help you up your marketing game! (and don’t forget I offer a 15% discount to Local Heroes!)

Thank you CISA, and thank you Wild Bramble Farm!

All photography by the incredible Megan Haley Photography. Want a really nice website? You need really nice photos! Photography is an essential part of the integrated branding process, and Megan nailed it here. Get in touch with her to find out how she can help capture your story.

A Trip to New Mexico

Back in November, before the rush of the holidays, my best friend from high school Ariel and I indulged in a little get away. We were in pursuit of the dwellings, scenery, inspiration, and culture that had powerfully influenced our shared heroine: Georgia O’Keeffe. I’m finally getting around to telling you all about it!

An early flight out of Boston delivered me to Ariel in Chicago, where she lives, and together we headed West. I was eager to get back to the desert more than two years after my most favorite trip I’ve ever taken, and was excited to spend some quality time with a friend I don’t get to see all that often.

We landed in Albuquerque and piled our stuff into the crappiest Dodge Journey I’ve seen come off a rental lot. We were headed North for Santa Fe, and it was chillier than the New Mexico of my mind had been. Still, warm colors and scrubby desert flora gave way to steep, craggy mountains, and I was quickly immersed in that “other planet” feeling specific to a New Englander in the Southwest.

Arriving in Santa Fe, sleepy from a long day of travel, our accommodations at La Posada de Santa Fe were a welcome sight with all its Southwestern charm, a fancy spa, and a roomy suite (thanks to Ariel’s platinum status - the girl gets around). Starving, we headed out to a casual early dinner at Casa Chimayo - a very authentic introduction to New Mexican spice, and enjoyed lots of creamy guacamole and sizzling fajitas.

We woke up to gently falling snow the next morning, pleasantly surprised having not even seen flurries in New England yet. Our first stop was the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in downtown Santa Fe to give us a proper overview of the artist and her work before we set out in her footsteps. It’s a small museum that allows you to consider the collection deeply. We went through the whole place three times over, and hit the gift shop twice, where I picked up this book in anticipation of our journey out to GOK’s residences.

Emerging from the museum, the snow situation had apparently escalated, and we trudged out into the fluffy inches that had quickly accumulated. We headed towards the Santa Fe Plaza and lunch at Cafe Pasqual’s. This was one of our favorite meals of the trip, and the atmosphere was a little fiesta in the heart of a vibrant city.

By the afternoon we were facing a regular Vermont blizzard, and it seemed we had no choice but to hit the spa. Climbing the snowy mountains looming over the city, our Dodge barely made it to Ten Thousand Waves, tucked away in mountain junipers. We felt the altitude climbing the stairs to the hot tubs, and soaked luxuriously under falling snowflakes.

We skated down the mountain and found dinner at Paloma, which offered a more modern and trendy take on Southwestern cuisine. I continued to cope with New Mexican chile, which seemed to baptize everything with a dose of heat intent on making me cry a little.

The next day was our most highly anticipated: Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch, where Georgia O’Keeffe lived and worked. I revved up the Doge, said a little prayer to the motor gods, and we pushed further North into the real desert, drinking in the scenery. No kidding you would come here to paint!

Our intimate tour of GOK’s Abiquiu home was the highlight of our trip. We explored her historic adobe house and gardens, poked around her studio and took in her personal desert views. The details were incredible; from carefully arranged collections of found rocks and bones, to the record player spinning her favorite classical records, to the herbs and spices and pots and pans carefully aligned in her pantry. We soaked it in and imagined Georgia going about her day.

After that, we headed to Ghost Ranch, the site of Georgia O’Keeffe’s other New Mexico home, which was hardly another hour up the road. We stopped quickly at Bode’s General Store for a fuel up and souvenir grab - it’s really not to be missed. Ghost Ranch is a little spooky per its namesake upon pulling up; very isolated and you instantly get the feeling a church owns it now (which it does). We wandered around the dude ranch and hiking trails waiting for our tour to begin.

The tour exceeded all expectations though, a burly cowboy guide named George and his trusty driver taking us out in a little bus to the sites Georgia O’Keeffe spent time painting. He held up little prints of her work in plastic sleeves, setting them just so against the natural formations they described. It was fascinating to see the landscape from her perspective this way, and to get so much background on O’Keeffe’s process and paintings.

The tour ran late and we hesitated on following the road further to Taos, but George and the bus driver encouraged us to keep going, and to be sure to stop for dinner at Orlando’s. We were glad we did, winding through gorges and mountains for the most breathtaking drive of the trip. And Orlando’s was a spot-on recommendation, warming us up with a colorful atmosphere and incredible burritos. We drove home under bright desert stars.

The next day we’d be heading back down to Albuquerque, but not without browsing the Canyon Road Galleries, sampling a little drinking chocolate at Kakawa Chocoalte House, and meeting up with my dear friend from college, Hannah, at Modern General Feed and Seed. She’d recently moved to Santa Fe (jealous), and it was so nice to catch up with her over blue corn pancakes and avocado toast in the very hip brunchery.

We arrived at our accommodations for our final night in New Mexico with big smiles on our faces. Los Poblanos is a historic inn and lavender farm, and is easily one of the nicest places I’ve ever spent a night. We marveled at a pair of peacocks perching among rows of fragrant lavender on our way to check-in.

Dinner that night and breakfast the next morning were the best eating of the trip, at the Inn’s farm-to-table restaurant, Campo. Lavender garnished cocktails, vegetable tostadas, lavender chicken, mole amarillo…every dish was more perfect than the last.

We ended our trip nearly burning the historic inn down with a brief fireplace malfunction, but all’s well that ends well, and we slept especially well in our lavender scented room.

After a morning bike ride around the farm, we said goodbye to New Mexico and headed home. Ariel and I both felt endlessly inspired having seen the desert through Georgia O’Keeffe’s eyes, and giddy at having spent such a relaxing few days sharing laughs and swapping stories. Fellow creative souls, this is a pilgrimage you must take, and one I will never forget.

Branding: Familiars Coffee & Tea

When Familiars teased an opening in downtown Northampton back in January, I creeped their newly launched Instagram account and became immediately jealous of whoever got to do their branding. They were opening shop in a vintage red dining car steeped in charm and history, they had this mysterious, intriguing persona already well established, and their coffees and teas were high end and just plain sexy. My branding wheels turned.

Familiars went on to establish a pretty sweet business and I visited in the spring, when Cara Totman and I met to talk about her big branding project. I lusted after Familiars further, seduced by the absolutely gorgeous renovation the old dining car had undergone. It was dripping in vintage hardwood harvested from a Holyoke mill. Ugh. So good. I continued to brand subconsciously.

A few months later I launched Cara’s fancy new branding, and in a fateful turn of events, Familiars reached out to me. They were likewise seduced, and wanted to talk about collaborating on their branding. Imagine my excitement!!!!

I sat down with the owners, Danny and Isaac, and knew right off the bat that this was going to be a fun project. They already had such a good thing going, now it was just a matter of turning their vision into something visual.

An interesting challenge came up in the shop’s namesake. Familiars, as I had interpreted it, of course references the comfort and familiarity of your regular neighborhood coffee joint. But here it also had a second meaning: familiars are the animal helpers of witches, assisting in spell casting and magic making. Traditionally, they take the forms of cats, toads, ravens, and hares. This resonated deeply with both Danny and Isaac, and the ultimate brand would communicate this while remaining approachable to all audiences.

I’m happy to say with a little work and a lot of sketching, the final logo struck that balance. Incorporating all four of those critters, the cat, toad, raven, and hare form a nice little crest flanked by coffee and tea leaves - also very meaningful.

There’s nothing I love more than when a logo carries personal meaning and mass appeal at the same time. It’s clean and attractive on the surface, but tells a complex and important story. This is a great example of that.

We pushed this even further in the branding, expanding into complementary sublogos, a jewel-toned palette, retro-hip illustrations and patterns, and clean, cool fonts. Each animal even got their own avatar!

Another big challenge with this branding project was the physical location itself. The vintage red dining car Familiars calls home is a huge presence; she carries her own memories, stories, heritage, and associations that precede Familiars the business, and linger here and there in the minds of customers. We wanted to honor that heritage, but also reclaim it. Familiars is no diner. Familiars ain’t stuck in the past. Familiars offers high quality products, friendly service, a little art, a lot of culture, and always a connection waiting to be made. It’s something the dining car hadn’t quite seen before.

So do we incorporate the iconic dining car, or no? We chose to own it, but in a more subtle way than smack on the logo. A stylized illustration of the car graces some of our branding materials, complementing our woodland helpers and adding to the overall intrigue. Check it out on the postcard! Greetings from Northampton!

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More fun details came through in the form of gold foil business cards, a fun loyalty card, and finally, a big beautiful website. The elements really came together at their best here, fully showcasing all the mystery and magic while welcoming all with open arms.

This was a project all about balance and finesse, and I’m psyched with the results. Danny and Isaac were a dream to work with, and I’m so grateful they really let me run wild with the vision on this. Can’t wait to see this brand grow and flourish with their business - I hear there’s merch coming soon!!!

Branding: Lakeview Eye Care

I admit, I was a little surprised when I received a branding inquiry from Alabama over the summer. While my business had grown and spread its tendrils over the last year, those tendrils sure hadn’t ventured beyond New England soil!

I was curious though, and Dr. Jodi Baker and I got on the phone and chatted. Our conversation left me so glad she had tracked me down (thanks Instagram) - I knew it would be a great collaboration, even over long distance.

Oh and another thing - she needed branding for her new optometry business! This was a step outside my comfort zone, no farmy logos necessary here, but I welcomed a chance to explore a new industry, audience, and aesthetic. Jodi filled me in on all the details, and I set to work drawing glasses.

I don’t know if you know - but the optometry field is just plagued with ugly eyeball logos. It’s shocking! Our discovery exploration left us in a pretty exciting position: create some unique, thoughtful, and personal branding and there was no doubt - this practice was going to stand out big time.

So we did just that. Taking into consideration the vibrant local lake culture around Guntersville, Jodi’s compassionate, genuine approach to patient care, and fresh, clean aesthetics from adjacent wellness categories, we created a look and feel that this field just hadn’t seen before.

For the primary logo , we focused on a clean and graphic interpretation of the “lakeview” concept, putting waves right in a round pair of spectacles. This illustration really plays with positive and negative space, which we were able to explore further in the larger branding. I love the secondary logos in particular.

The result was something not only sharp looking and eye catching, but very versatile branding. Things really came to life when we applied our lake inspired color palette - blues and taupes creating a calm atmosphere. We aded a burst of coral too, because after all, picking out glasses is fun!

The really fun part was applying it all to Jodi’s new website and print materials as she prepared to launch the business. We carried that calm, relaxing aesthetic forward, reflected in clean layouts and subtle branding details.

It was particularly exciting for me to see this all come together, as this project gave me a great opportunity to explore a style and approach that isn’t typical for most of my branding projects. I’m so grateful to Jodi for giving me license to do that, and so enjoyed working with her as she launched Lakeview Eye Care!

To learn more about Dr. Baker’s services, check out her website and Instagram!

One Year into Full-time Freelance, Here's What I've Learned

Last September, I committed to making The Homegrown Studio my full-time job. A year in, I can say that this has been the fastest, craziest, most challenging, and most fulfilling year of my life, and I’m not looking back. Last September almost feels like ten years ago when I think of all I have learned, and the good news is that I feel like that shows most of all in the work I’m producing now.

I had shared some of the lessons I’d learned in my first month of freelance life, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to reflect now on a few key things I’ve taken in during a whole year of The Homegrown Studio. 

1.     How to make connections.

 I talked about this a lot last time, but it still holds true and is still the single most important element to the success of my business. Pushing myself to meet people in-person and genuinely get to know them has been essential for gaining and keeping clients, but more importantly it has given me the opportunity to be part of a community that is full of amazing people, valuable resources, and fulfilling experiences. Sticking my neck out there was hard at first, but now it’s just something I require and expect of myself. I set a date, put real pants on, get in the car, get a stomach ache on the drive over, awkwardly locate the person I’m meeting, engage in an interesting and inspiring conversation, and leave saying THAT WAS THE BEST MEETING OF MY LIFE. Then I drive 100 mph back to my studio to sketch out ideas and send a note of thanks. It’s always, always, always worth it.

 Also! Ladies Drawing Night is going better than ever. Created with the sole purpose of meeting cool, creative people IRL, it has served that purpose and more. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who has bravely come out to join our little group each month. I still get a stomach ache every time I leave the house, always have an amazing time drawing and chatting, and wake up the next morning feeling energized and excited about the women I met.

 Bonus tip: when you do meet people, no matter where or who, tell them about what you are doing! Whenever I’m heading to an event or meeting or even a family gathering, I make a mental list of the big projects I’m working on right now so that they’re on the tip of my tongue. People are interested, and you never know what it might lead to!

 2.     How to make money and manage it.

 Money has taken on a whole new presence in my life since I said goodbye to the regular paycheck twice a month. There were months where I barely made enough to pay the bills. There were months where I raked in more than $12,000. There were new, large bills to pay, there were Quickbooks to routinely screw up, and there were hefty taxes to fork over. The good news is, through prosperous times and plain old loss, it all evened out. I am on track to nearly double what I was making at my full-time corporate job at the end of 2019. I’m not bragging; I’m letting you know that this is all very doable. This is the tangible result of a lot of hard work and careful management.

One of the hardest parts was learning how to deal with the finances, and I’m still figuring it out. I hired an accountant as soon as I could afford it, because I knew this wasn’t exactly in my skill set and I wanted to do things right. I wouldn’t do well in jail. My accountant helped me understand how to pay my self-employment taxes quarterly, explained the correct way to pay myself, gave me a crash course in Quickbooks, showed me how to reconcile (I should really do that), and more.  I asked so many dumb questions, twice sometimes, and she was always patient and informative. I’m feeling much more comfortable now. 10/10 would recommend.

 3.     How to streamline my process and become more efficient.

 I love working for myself, but sometimes I could really use an extra pair of hands. My cat does not have hands. Hiring help is not in the cards just yet, so something I really had to work on was my process, and finding where I could save myself time and effort.

 I’d say I really hit my stride with this in late spring. I completely standardized my client on-boarding process, vowing to never waver from it, even if my own mother needed a logo (turns out she does, by the first week in October). I created several presentation templates that are on-brand, display my work beautifully, and are easy to use and reference for clients. I created a file system that isn’t a complete embarrassment, and have regular deadlines for the reoccurring monthly tasks that must be met at all costs. This is all stuff that is easy to get bogged down in, but once I took the time to really streamline it all, I found I had much more time to spend where I ought to be: creating brilliant work for clients (and sometime for myself!).

 4.     How to get clients saying YES.

 I hit a big rut in the depths of winter, and felt like I was banging my head against a wall. I had a full schedule of clients I was excited about, who had hired me because they liked my work and style, but repeatedly, my logo concepts were being rejected. They all appreciated what I’d come up with, but for one reason or another, it wasn’t what they’d had in mind. I deeply questioned my abilities and whether I could handle all this critique. And, going back to the drawing board so many times really backed up my schedule, pushing back deadlines again and again. I needed to take a hard look at what was going wrong here.

I talked to a lot of fellow designers about this, took part in an AMAZING workshop with the Hoodzpah gals, and concluded that I needed to put a lot more effort into two things: discovery, and selling my work. Discovery is the marketing research work that takes place before any designing happens, and while I was doing a little of this already, I wasn’t diving in nearly deep enough to make sure my designs met all expectations. Now, I include a thorough Discovery Meeting and Discovery Presentation in all of my branding packages. As far as selling clients on my designs, I knew I could do more there. I invested a lot of time in creating professional, engaging presentations that showcased the value of my work, explained my process, and allowed my designs to really shine. I learned how to speak about my work with confidence, and defend it when anything came into question.

 This has all made me much more deliberate about the design decisions I make, and ultimately it’s pushing me to create better brands. I’m happy to report in the last four logo concept presentations I’ve submitted, every client has chosen Option A (always my favorite, shhhh…) with little to no revisions. You can bet I am breathing a sigh of relief, and I can’t wait to share some of my strongest work yet!

 5.     How to balance work and life.

Work and life balance, whatever that means, was something I was really grappling with my first month into freelance, and for a while after. It’s something I still think about a lot, but do feel like I have a much better grasp on what feels right.

 In the beginning, I was having a lot of trouble sleeping because I was thinking about all the things I needed to do. I was excited about work, but I couldn’t shut it off. I never knew if I had done “enough” at the end of the day, and there was certainly no one to tell me if I had or not.

List making was the savior here. I’ve always believed in writing things down, but now I’ve taken it to an extreme. Each morning I write a list of everything I’d like to work on that day, and each evening I write a list of things I need to follow up on tomorrow. Even the smallest of tasks. This empties my brain sufficiently; I can leave it on the paper. Each Friday, I write down a list of my accomplishments for the week, and the big objectives I need to focus on next week. I find this weirdly satisfying, and feel like I can stop working for the weekend – I’ve done enough. I do not work on the weekends. There have been a few small exceptions, but I do whatever it takes to keep to this rule. I feel great about it.

I’m very fortunate that work and life are beautifully intertwined, my passions commingling happily and creating interesting tensions that I’m inspired by over and over again. Whether it’s digging in the garden and incorporating sketches gathered there in a logo, or spotting a particularly lovely typeface on a weekend excursion, or noting the color palette during a trail ride, I’m so lucky that my daily experiences can so often be translated into my work. Freelance design has allowed me the time and space to make a living out of these moments, and I’ll sure be grateful if I get to do it for another year.

Photos by the amazing Jennifer Bakos Photography

Up the Coast of Maine

As I’ve mentioned before, Maine is a neighboring state I’ve spent very little time in. Short of a family vacation to Ogunquit circa elementary school, and a very brief stop in Portland a few years back in which more time was spent in traffic than in the city, I haven’t experienced Vacationland much at all. 

After completing an all-time favorite branding project for The Belmont Inn last winter, and further enticed by a Lord Huron concert happening in Portland, Jake and I decided to plan a July long weekend. We’d catch the concert first, head to The Belmont Inn, and round out the stay with some hiking up in Acadia and add another National Park notch to our belts. 

So last Friday, on the dawn of a heat wave, we headed North. We largely avoided the apocalyptic traffic of my memories and arrived in Portland just after lunchtime. It was hot there too. We strolled along the docks, up and down the hilly streets, and in and out of quirky shops. I lusted after summer hats and bags in Peyote Moon, and marveled at the branding (and bread) at Standard Baking Co. We noted many delicious-looking restaurants along they way; in case you hadn’t heard, Portland has good food. 

But we had reservations set at Little Giant over in the West End, which had come highly recommended by my girl Ariel. We were so glad that the restaurant brought us out of downtown, and into a quieter, more residential neighborhood that had all kinds of Maine charm. The restaurant itself was set just perfectly on a corner, door wide open and framed by cottage roses. Inside was minimal and classy, with the prettiest gilded cocktails to match. We ordered buttered radishes on thick toast, a citrusy farro salad, a dreamy green goddess salad, and salmon. Each plate was a gem.

We headed to the Lord Huron concert over at Thompson’s Point afterwards, and the atmospheric songs seemed just perfectly set to the glowy sunset over the coast. 

After that was a sleepy drive to Camden, with one stop to pick up a toothbrush (my bad). We arrived at The Belmont Inn later than is typically courteous, but the lovely innkeeper, my Godmother Kim, waited up for us. It was so wonderful to see her. 

Biased or no, The Belmont Inn is hands down the nicest bed and breakfast I have ever stayed at. Jake agreed. Tastefully styled, impeccably clean, delicious breakfast, complementary blondie treats, bursting gardens…I could go on and on. I was so proud that my branding represented such an excellent establishment; Kim had really made this place shine. We would have happily stayed three more nights. 

But Acadia called! First, we spent Saturday morning around Camden, admiring the Schooners setting sail, poking around the local farmers market, and driving the top of Mount Battie to take in the harbor town from above. Camden is just adorable. 

Heading up Route 1, we stopped in Belfast for lunch, another cute costal town. We wandered into Chase’s Daily, which was part farm market part restaurant, and marveled over the crates of fresh summer veg. I had a delicious cold cucumber dill soup, which was particularly refreshing in the sweltering heat. Maine was definitely not spared of the heat wave. 

Back in the car, we continued to wind our way North, lobster shack after lobster shack guiding our path. Arriving in Bar Harbor a few hours later, we checked into The Primrose Inn. This was also a lovely accommodation, but we had definitely been spoiled by The Belmont. 

Kim had given us a hot tip on the way out the door to eat dinner on the terrace at The Bar Harbor Inn. National Parks are amazing, but one typical symptom of these tourist inundated spots is that food options leave something to be desired. We took her word for it and found a great seat overlooking the bay, and were not disappointed. I enjoyed fresh fish tacos and Jake indulged in a lobster roll, and toasted blueberry sangrias as we watched every sort of sea vessel come in and out.

After dinner, we took a walk on a “sometimes” path out to Bar Island. It’s a sand bar that only reveals itself at low tide, providing pedestrian access to the nearby island. Don’t get stranded though! We turned over rocks to hunt for crabs which was a good feeling I’d forgotten about. 

The next day was just as hot, and although we were ready to start exploring Acadia, we nixed some harder hikes we had planned and decided it would be best to go easy. So we set off on the Jordan Pond Loop, an easy going three mile trail around the idyllic Jordan Pond. The views of The Bubbles (majestic butt-shaped mountains) were gorgeous, and most of the trail was shaded and pleasant. The only frustration is that swimming isn’t allowed at Jordan Pond, and it is borderline torture to hike around the crystal clear waters for hours on a 95 degree day. It was all too tempting. 

Completing the loop, we arrived at the Jordan Pond House, one of the top-rated restaurants of any National Park in the country (I’ll say it again, this isn’t exactly a competitive category). They are famous for their popovers, of all things. We ordered up two popovers with a side of blueberry jam and a pair of blueberry lemonades, and they totally lived up to the buttery hype. The Jordan Pond popovers are not to be missed.

But we were still very, very sweaty. It was kind of them to serve us, actually. If we couldn’t swim in the Jordan, we were going to need to find another water source. We scoped out Lakewood Pond, and took a quick dip before a little thunderstorm rolled in. It brought to mind that E.B. White essay. 

After a good shower, we went to dinner at Project Social Kitchen & Bar. We had prime seats on a little front porch and enjoyed a spread of small plates. The crab cakes were some of the tastiest I’ve had. We took another stroll around Bar Harbor afterwards and finished up the evening at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, which offered genuinely creative flavors. Jake’s Cardamom Cinnamon was the winner.

We went to bed way early because our alarm was set for 2:00 a.m. That’s the time you gotta wake up if you want to hike to sunrise on Cadillac Mountain! We managed the early wake up call, which involved me blow drying my sports bra still wet from the pond swim (ew) and drove to the dark, dark North Ridge trailhead. 

This was my first night hike and I wasn’t as spooked as I thought I might be. The headlamp gives you a sort of tunnel vision and I just followed Jake right on up to the top. It took us about two hours, and after seeing just two other happy hikers out on the trail, it’s a little strange when you arrive at the summit and suddenly find 200 friends. They all drove to the top and were awaiting the sunrise in the their PJs. I felt accomplished snacking on my granola bar, anyhow. 

The sunrise was completely worth it - absolutely breathtaking. We watched the red, glowing ball hover above the water and all of its little islands, casting beams of color every which way. It was special. 

We descended the Gorge Path, which was just beautiful and lined with wild blueberries. Did you know blueberries are the only thing you can take out of the park? Up to two quarts! We were at the bottom by 6:30 a.m. and had only one thing on our minds: blueberry pancakes. 

Our needs were met at Cafe This Way, which served up two larger-than-your-face blueberry pancakes each complete with the crispy, raggedy edges. So so so so good. 10/10. Better than I could have hoped for. 

We napped after that. 

And woke up for a carriage tour of the park! I was so excited about this. Acadia offers horse-drawn tours along the famous carriage roads designed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. Wildwood Stables is home to about 30 draft horses of all breeds that pull the carriages. This is a must-do in Acadia; all of the best views are from the carriage roads - it’s designed that way. And, we learned so much about the history behind the park along the way. Most importantly, I got to love on the drafties. 

After a little more exploring and a visit to the picturesque Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse (and a cute seal sighting!)  we turned in early, still beat from the high energy morning. The next day we began the journey home - Jeeze, when did we get so far North? 

Our lunch stop en route home was by far the most highly anticipated food event of our trip. I’ve had a brand crush on Rose Foods of Portland LONG TIME, and wanted to try their bagels, too.

Everything about this place. Is perfect. The unassuming brick storefront, the takeout menu, the little apple juices, the fucking tote bag. I fan-girled out (I wasn’t the only one, this is a destination) and then the bagel sandwich about put me over the edge. Art. I got The Good Deal, Jake got the Classic Nova. I wish I could go there right now and eat it all over again. 

But instead, I’ve got a pink souvenir mug that is keeping me inspired for a restaurant branding project of my own I’ve got going on. Maine as a whole totally inspired me; it’s always refreshing to get out of your backyard. Glad I finally got up there, and can’t wait to return. 

Logo & Packaging: The Shelburne Honey Company

I met Tim Smith and Courtney Basil of Apex Orchards last winter, at a marketing workshop I taught with CISA. While a lot of the farmers in attendance were just starting out, Tim and Courtney were there representing a farm that had been in business since 1828. Tim is a fourth-generation farmer, and Courtney helps him manage the operation, which is largely focused on apples and other tree fruits.

Marketing a farm with so much history is an interesting challenge, as the needs of modern consumers and the rich heritage of a place press up against each other. One area of the business Tim and Courtney really felt needed updating was their honey products, which are sold under the name The Shelburne Honey Company. The delicious honey was lacking a consistent logo, and the labeling needed a refresh.

Tim has been producing honey since 1972, and wanted to maintain the heritage of the locally established honey, while making sure his products were standing out on shelf. The original label included hand drawn floral details by his aunt, which I thought was really special. I thought playing with the original design would be a great way to transition the products into a new era, while still paying homage to its roots.

I spent a lot of time cleaning the original floral drawings up, rearranging, and creating a brand new logo out of them:

Tim, Courtney and I really liked the results; it felt like a great balance of old and new. When applied to labeling, it really cleaned the products up and made them look like a family.

We used the established Apex Orchards red color to draw a subtle connection to the main business, and color-coded the banners to distinguish between different products: Original, Clover, and Creamed Honey.

I really like the way they all look together, and can’t wait to see them printed out and on the shelf in the fall!

Branding: Cara Totman Photography

Cara Totman’s work has been catching my eye for years. Her photos have always stood out to me as having this magical atmosphere about them, capturing light and shadow in a way that elevates every one of her subjects and makes them sparkle. Whether it’s an engagement shoot, a wedding party, an intimate portrait, or a lush landscape, there’s this consistent mood in Cara’s photos that never fails to intrigue me.

Photo by Cara Totman Photography

So I was thrilled when she got in touch to work on some branding; designing for artists that inspire me is the very most satisfying!!! And, I was just so happy to finally meet Cara IRL! Turns out she is just as magical as her photos.

Cara wanted her logo and branding to embody a vintage, ethereal style, and wasn’t afraid to get a little quirky. She loves retro surf poster typography, and is very inspired by Oaxacan culture and art, where she recently spent time taking some seriously incredible film photos. My goal was to make sure we came up with something that complemented and spoke to the consistent style and atmosphere of Cara’s work.

Taking all that inspiration into account, we arrived at a logo that we both agreed was very her:

Cara is particularly good at capturing the female form, and it is a subject that speaks to many of the avenues she pursues with her business. I also think Cara is exceptionally good at inspiring a sort of radiant confidence in her subjects, no matter the context, and I wanted to convey that here. The woman in the logo is inspired by an actual photo by Cara, and when framed by stylize flora and vintage typography, the result is that retro, mystical, playful feeling we were going for.

The fun part was expanding this logo into its larger branding. Secondary logos and marks came naturally, a feminine and earthy palette was pulled from themes in her photography, and the brand pattern was actually the crowning piece, where a fleet of ladies joins our logo woman, to create several little repeat scenes. I’m a little obsessed.

This was a dream project for me, and I’m so excited to see it shine alongside Cara’s work as she begins her 2019 wedding season, holds super fun and empowering events like Celestial Sessions, and continues to flex her creative muscles in capturing the beauty of every day moments. Thanks Cara!

Branding: Field Notes

When I first met Joan and Kyle of Field Notes, we were still in a February deep freeze. I shuffled over a very solid layer of Hudson Valley ice to the Lansing Farm greenhouse, where it was nice and warm and smelled like dirt. Joan and Kyle pointed out all their varieties of newly started plants, which naturally flowed into their many plans for Field Notes’ second season of farm dinners: the seedlings were destined to feed many mouths this summer, after all.

Field Notes was established when the two chefs came to Colonie, New York from Vermont, looking to gain a better appreciation of where the food they were cooking came from. They did this by teaming up with the Lansing Farm family to establish a farm-to-table restaurant, using crops grown right on the farm to serve weekly meals on the same land. The first year was a success, with many delicious meals and memorable evenings against the backdrop of wildflowers and farm sunsets, and they were looking forward to expanding in their second year. They knew it was the right time to refresh their brand, and I couldn’t have agreed more.

We wanted the new logo and branding to not only reflect the beautiful experience of a rustic dinner on the farm, but also the hard work that goes into harvesting and preparing a meal. Joan and Kyle are big believers in understanding what goes into growing and raising the food we eat, and aim to tell that story with every meal. Their branding should of course do the same.

In developing the logo, I wanted to give significance to the elements of those meals, as the ingredients journey from soil to plate. This approach really gives the details of that process an elegance, and makes it clear that there is a whole lot that goes into a well-prepared feast.

In the branding process, we expanded that concept even further, making the illustrations of the farm, kitchen and table elements front and center, translating them well into secondary logos and pattern, all in deep eggplant and leafy green colors that evoke the pallet of a late summer harvest.

This really came together in the menu design, which showcases Field Notes’ ever-changing and artful preparations of the freshest ingredients available.

And, because we didn’t want the warm, intimate aura of a summer farm dinner to be lost, this additional illustration is going to work in concert with the rest of the branding to call to mind those late moonlit evenings filled with laughter, good food, and great company.

I am so pleased with the way this project came out, and am grateful to Joan and Kyle for inspiring me with their vision and then turning me loose with it. It was a fun one to work on and I can’t wait to see it come to life as they kick off their 2019 season!