A little over a month ago I received an email full of exclamation marks and excitement. My friend Kat from Dear Sweetheart Events had an idea for a 2-day conference for creative entrepreneurs to encourage them in their business and build community. She asked me if I would come on board to design the brand and the website, and I quickly jumped on board!
The past month has been full of soft pastels, hearts, and beautiful calligraphy (the other half of the Creative At Heart team, Taylor from Letters of Grace, was a great help with the logo!). Kat and Taylor's excitement throughout the entire process has made this project a joy, and I'm thrilled with how everything turned out!
This project was a collaboration between all 3 of us, so I thought it would be fun to share the design process from Kat & Taylor's perspective. Here's their take on the branding and website designs for Creative At Heart!
Why did you originally reach out to Elle & Company for design help?
Kat: In the very early stages of developing the conference (as in, 12 hours in!) I knew Lauren would completely understand the vision we were going for. Like Taylor and I, she has a heart for small businesses and building community. We were SO blessed when she offered to sponsor Creative At Heart through the branding and web design, and are IN LOVE with the finished product!!!!
What were your initial design goals?
For the logo: we wanted Lauren to use Taylor's hand-lettering because it's AMAZING!! We knew we wanted a calligraphy logo that was feminine, relaxed, and & fun. Lauren went above and beyond our expectations and we are OBSESSED with both the main logo & secondary logos!
For the website: we wanted something that would fit the goal for the conference - we wanted it to be inviting, easy to navigate, full of organized information & appealing to the eye. Again, Lauren did a wonderful job compiling our information into cohesive pages, while still allowing the overall conference brand to shine through.
What keywords came to mind when you imagined the appearance of your brand and website?
Inviting, Feminine, Relaxed, Fun, Girly... we think Lauren nailed it :)
What was your favorite step in the branding process?
I think our favorite part was finally seeing and revealing the logo to our followers! We were so anxious to see it, because it really is the first step in developing the rest of the brand. When Lauren sent it to us we were both just ecstatic. She created something beautiful and perfect that was better than what we had dreamed of.
Were you surprised by any part of the project?
We were surprised constantly, but in great ways! Every time we checked the website we saw new additions and fun surprises that were just what we were envisioning. From the colors, to the way the text is laid out, we were excited each time and couldn't wait to show it all off.
How was the overall experience? Did we successfully accomplish your design goals for Creative At Heart?
The overall experience was all we had hoped for! Our brand and website are just beautiful. Lauren captured our vision beautifully. We told her we wanted sophisticated, simple, feminine, romantic, inviting... and Lauren made it all of these things and more. We are so excited launch day is finally here!
Kat and Taylor, thank you for allowing me to play a part in a project that has been so near and dear to both of you! I'm excited to see how Creative At Heart will impact the lives and businesses of the ladies that attend the conference and I can't wait to join you in Staunton this February. Best wishes and happy launch day!
