Work in Process
The Swail Studio Blog about Branding,
visual identity, magic, and the void.
SUNSHINE, FRESHNESS & FLOW 🍊 🌞 🍋 🌱 🍋🟩
Inspired by the movement and flow of art nouveau — and the dance backgrounds shared by the members — the logo and accents incorporate varied line weights and intentionally-imperfect curves and flourishes that draw the eye through logos and patterns.
unobstructed views
I had no grasp of just how obstructed my view of the sky is in NYC until I moved away. We all know that moving somewhere new means a big PeRsPeCtIvE sHiFt. But literally… have you ever just looked at THE SKY in utter awe?
🌱 The Rebirth of Earthshine Holistics 🌱
This project speaks to not only *just how far* you can take a brand kit, but the difference that the details of a full and cohesive logo system can make, and the pros of hiring a pro when you have a design job you know you're not going to do justice by yourself.
sit in the sun with me
I just moved 1000 miles across the country and I’d like to sit in the sun and dream for a minute, if you’ll join me.
It’s time.
How do you know it’s the right time to commit to a new brand? I’ve found lots of good indicators that *it’s time* to rebrand over the years, but here are some of the biggest green flags that it’s time to hire someone to lay down the basics of your visual identity and make your life a little easier.
Honestly, branding is superficial.
It’s thought of as a nice-to-have, but definitely not critical, investment. Maybe you'll get to it when you have a "really good" year or something.
But lately, I’ve been thinking about how the superficiality of branding isn’t a bug — it’s a feature.
Why I don’t base brands on birth charts or archetypes
I’m an Aries sun / Cap moon / Leo rising, a 2/4 Sacral Generator, and an Enneagram 5w4. I consider Swail Studio to be loosely Creator/Magician/Outlaw in Jungian archetypes, I based my own brand on The Tower card, and regularly consult Tarot when I’m feeling queasy about a business decision.
And I don’t base the brands I create on ANY of these archetypal systems. Here's why.
…but what if I don’t like it??
A lot of weight gets put on having and maintaining a perfectly-dialed-in brand, and part of the point of Intuitive Brand Kits is to take away some of that heaviness.
So, I want to address a few of the deep, dark fears that come up around investing in branding.
I would rather die.
I have watched a pathological amount of Star Trek this year.
I firmly believe that all media you binge-consume counts toward something positive eventually. There’s a reason you’re drawn to it. Especially while paralyzed on the couch during a depressive episode.
Then, there’s the media that immediately changes your life.
Sold-out launch debrief
Since we're all online business owners here, I think it’s only fair to share what I learned and observed over the course of this month. Here’s what moved the needle for me this summer, in no particular order.