This design project is so close to my heart! Not only is Barbara Billings of The Stranded Sheep a great friend of mine, she's a creative entrepreneur doing one of the coolest things I can imagine: she takes wool from sheep, spins and dyes her own yarn.
I was so honored when Barbara asked me to design her logo and brand identity for The Stranded Sheep! I was excited to learn about spinning, dyeing and fibers in general. I love working with entrepreneurs because there’s so much soul in the company. Most entrepreneurs start projects that are a direct reflection of themselves. It starts with something they liked to do, but there’s always a really meaningful reason why. I love that. To kick the project off, Barbara and I met up for a brainstorming session and worked on compiling a Pinterest board. From there, I got to work and prepared her concepts:
Brand Themes
Barbara learned to knit and followed the supply chain back from there all the way to the farm. Her desire is to one day own her own sheep farm. She wants to host the entire supply chain, from farm to skein. She finds so much joy in returning to the simple. She’s worked in the digital space for so long, that she has incredible value for the things you can touch. Knowing all this, I came up with some brand themes. These are the themes that would guide the logo concepts and color choices. You should be able to look at each piece of the brand and see these themes: earthy natural elegance, composed, classic, but not too careful, and relaxed strength. Looking at the left column in the chart above, you can see how these themes translate into design elements.
Colors
Along with the brand themes, I chose color palettes and photographs that reflected the themes.
Concepts
Then I sketched out some logo concepts. These are quick sketches, each one playing up a different aspect of the brand themes.
Recommendation
I always like to give my recommendation. Designers always have favorites. I think instead of trying to strategically place items in a deck, it's best to just to tell your client who your favorite is! This was my official recommendation for Barbara. We met up and talked through everything. After getting a good understanding of her feedback, we started revisions.
The Final Brand
Ta da! The final brand! Working on this project was such a wonderful shift from my usual. Dusty and I usually team up for design, but I was selfish with this one! I loved having a chance to work with a more feminine brand and getting to use my lettering skills. I am so excited to see The Stranded Sheep grow!
