How I Designed my Website and Logo
Creativity is about taking an idea and working away until it exists in the world in a beautiful way, whether a tangible art form or digital creation. While this process is often portrayed as elusive, professional artists can also be quite methodical and determined, following their own process to create a dependably magic final result.
Branding is both parts creative and strategic, art and science, and thus there’s a methodology to follow in terms of the right order of its development. The process of designing a brand’s visual identity usually goes as follows:
Strategy → Concept → Color Palette → Logo → Imagery → Website
This method ensures the design is grounded in an in depth understanding of a target audience and that it stems from a meaningful, thoughtful concept relating to that strategy. Following it is a reliable way to generate strong results. But rules are made to be broken.
For my own website design, I had the luxury of zero time constraints (apart from my own goal to have a first draft complete by the end of February) allowing me to follow my intuition throughout the design process to create something that matched the way I want to feel about my business and the way I want my clients to feel.
My journey ended up looking more like:
Strategy → Imagery → Color Palette → Logo → Concept → Website
Every project is different in terms of existing assets, design constraints, and timelines, so while there’s a tried and true process, it’s important it remain fluid and agile.
The Story Behind my Color Palette and Logo
The inspiration for my color palette came a little backwards from how I’d lead a client through the process. In a typical client process, we’d set the color palette first and then choose brand imagery that coheres with the look and feel of the palette.
In my case, I knew I was flying to Glasgow in a few weeks, where I wouldn’t have access to an appropriate backdrop or natural lighting (it’s almost always dark, grey, rainy in Glasgow) for brand photos. I knew that my overall strategy for ideating my branding was to create a bright, professional brand presence that would establish trust among my target audience: entrepreneurs and established small businesses looking to elevate their online presence.
I chose a bright day after a snowfall for maximum natural light. Snow is a natural reflector, so you can get stunning bright light without an extra reflector or light diffuser. I knew I wanted to be seated, so I chose a spot on my sofa by the window. The walls of the room are light blue, as is the sofa. One brand color was hence locked in by circumstance.
I chose the top I wore using the technique I recommend to all my clients: wear what makes you feel like the best version of yourself—the version of yourself you want to present to the world. In my case, I wanted something professional, soft, and elegant. For other brands I might suggest more contrast or a bolder choice, but I liked the way the lilac and blue hues interacted. It makes for a gentle and slightly unusual pairing.
When designing a site, you want all imagery to blend smoothly into the page it’s embedded onto.
This creates a cohesive, professional look. So, when I uploaded the best photo from my personal brand photo shoot, I decided I’d play on the shades in my top and the backdrop for the rest of the design , including my logo.
I used these color shades on a few proposal decks before finalizing a logo, to personalize the opening and closing slides containing my information. It looked like this:
Initial Logo Inspiration
I decided I liked these colors interacting in this ratio, so I used the same color blocking technique in my logo design.
Final Logo
It wasn’t until after I finished the logo that I realized it looked like a horizon, which was perfectly cohesive with my ‘visioning’ language, and the idea that branding processes helps entrepreneurs see their future. This is certainly not the order of things I’d recommend for a client. Double and triple meanings can come through design, but I’d typically start with a more meaningful concept before creating a logo. But as I was focused on following my intuition and creating as I was inspired, I was able to make a logo that feels resonant.
This was made easier by knowing myself, my taste, and my vision for my brand so intimately—because it existed within my mind. When you embark on a logo design project and are outsourcing the design to a freelancer, it’s imperative that they take the time to understand your taste and vision.
Logos should not only be pretty, but carry meaning, especially for small businesses with heart.
This is why I sometimes refer to what I do as ‘soul-centered’ branding. Meaning can be interpreted and signaled in so many ways. Images, colors, and shapes make us feel a certain way, and we can use this to our advantage when designing an authentic, purposeful brand.
Further Serendipity
A few days ago, I was exploring some of my photography and was struck by one of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken. It’s of two girls in Morocco, one of whom is dressed in ballet clothes. I’ve always loved the neutral, textured walls in the photo and how it’s as if we’re peeking around a corner and catching a glimpse of this intimate moment.
I was struck because the color blocking on the left wall almost exactly mimics my logo—in both color and ratio. This wasn’t intentional, but could definitely have been subconscious, as like I said, it’s one of my favorite photos from my travels.
It’s little moments and secret meanings like this that make a logo feel special. It’s important to be strategic when designing a logo so that it appeals and communicates the right message to your target audience, but most of all, it should be meaningful to you. You will spend the most time looking at it.
As a small business, your logo is a reflection of you—the brand and legacy you are birthing into the world.
It’s worth it to make something special.
