SalonBranding-SeniorProject2

Salon Branding

2022

Unlike the past projects I have worked on, this was the very first involving a client. Though unpaid and pre-arranged, this project proved to be a great experience for learning healthy communication with another individual and discussing the best ways to bring their brand ideas to life.

Final Logo - Client Approved

Top: Business card sketches

Bottom: Logo sketches

Tools and Process

Differing from my many other school projects, this one involved working with a student in my school's cosmetology department to create a brand identity for their conceptual salon. I started off by meeting with my client, discussing what their vision for their brand identity should be. From here, I asked them about color choice, if the salon was meant to be more uptight or casual, and any other information I could get that could help get ideas flowing. Luckily for me, my client had a very clear idea with what they wanted. Unlike usual, I did my sketches right in front of them, and off the bat they liked the direction I was going in. Once all of the concepts were complete, we exchanged contact information and I scanned in my sketches to be digitized and then made into their final products in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign. When creating the pamphlet, I found it to be immensely helpful to create a sketch booklet with numbered pages, which helped me keep track of how everything should be

laid out.

Top Left: Pamphlet inside sketch

Top Right: Pamphlet outside sketch

Bottom: Social media ad sketches

Learning Experience

Categorized as a "Skill Builder" assignment, this project was intended for us to step outside of our comfort zones while building upon the skills we already have. In the case of this project, I was already entirely familiar with the design process, the software I used to create the products, and so on. However, where this project differed was, as mentioned before, that I had to deal with a client this time around. This involved learning to clearly communicate with another person and checking in with them over the course of the project on how they felt about where I was heading. Having made sure to give my client the clean, simple designed they requested, there was little need in my case for many changes to be made, allowing for the project to go by quickly and smoothly.

Logo variations

Performance Evaluation

Overall, this was one of the swiftest I have ever worked through a project. I really felt that my past experience was incredibly beneficial and left me having little to no questions for my instructors. Aside from the digital products, the only assistance I needed was for using the machines involved in the cutting process for my print products. With that said, I feel I could benefit a bit more from some more experience with print products, as I still occasionally struggle with not only the equipment, but the digital aspects as well. This would involve getting a better understanding of gutters, crop marks, and so on, as I tend to find these aspects to still be personally confusing. Apart from my few struggles, communication went smoothly with my client despite how I tend to usually be quite nervous around new people. My familiarity with the software I used helped immensely in getting my work done right on time without any need to rush.

Left: Social media ad variation

Left: Printed business card variations

Above: Business card variations

In general, I would say that this was a very positive experience for me. Though I didn't have to familiarize myself with any new materials, I felt that I got great practice with logo design and especially typography. Those who I had to work with were very kind and understanding and were very happy with the final products. Overall, I am very proud of this project and feel that my improvement is personally noticeable, which I find to be very motivating.

Left: Pamphlet (Digital)

Above: Pamphlet (Print)