Hey!

I must apologize for my week long hiatus from the ol’ blog! I’ve been going though some pretty crazy times in my life, lots of huge changes that required a lot of thinking and energy, and recovery as well…although I’m still recovering. Anyways, I won’t go into it here…life goes on and we all have our things to deal with. What I wanted to share today is a really exciting logo project for an upcoming local business! Honey Bee Vintage Bridal is still in the works by owner Melanie Louise, but so far things are looking fantastic and we are all very excited to see her shop open it’s doors in the near future! Her shop will be here in Halifax and will carry a beautiful collection of vintage bridal gowns and accessories!  Melanie got in touch with me about a month ago to discuss the potential for me to create a logo for her new endeavor, and of course I was so excited and thrilled that she approached me. It began with a lovely meeting, and then I started to draw…

This little sketch became the basis for a few different versions of the logo that I worked out in watercolour…

When I felt I was ready to move my ideas into Illustrator I got right to work. I’m still learning the program and I admit I have a lot to learn, but that’s the fun part! With each project I take on I learn so much. I don’t have a design background, it’s really a new interest for me after I took an Illustrator night course through NSCAD extended studies when I was considering going back to school for Graphic Design. It was one of the most valuable courses I’ve ever taken, as I have learned to use the program to help my screen printing, to create my own business cards, banners, logo, and packaging materials. I learned so much!

Above is one of the first versions of the logo. As you can see I was still working out some kinks, playing around with placement and still working out some of the design elements. I am so lucky to have a few professional designers in my life. They kindly guided me through the process and gave me their honest input which was so very appreciated.

My pals suggested that I make the bee even more of a prominent icon, to make him lager and move him to the top of the logo. I agreed! The logo seemed a little bottom heavy.  I decided to leave the texture out of the stripes on the bee to simplify. It was also suggested that I change up the wings and make them look a little more like lace or birdcage giving it a bit of a wedding feel. BRILLIANT IDEA! Thanks to Mr. Ryan Hutchinson designer extraordinaire (visit his website HERE!). In the end Melanie was very pleased with her new logo, and I had learned so much in the process! It was a win win! I will be so, so very excited to see this logo all around town, on a sign, on bags etc. etc. It will really make me feel like a part of the community!

That’s it for now, check back in again..more art on the way as always! Lots of ideas brewing….