Creating an Iconic Brand Identity: Sticky Hugs

Jacqueline Bak came to us for help creating the perfect brand for her personalized waterproof sticker and name label company. Because of the nature of her product—stylish, fun labels available in a combination of colors, fonts and designs—we knew nailing her company’s visual identity was a critical part of her business strategy.  Jacqueline’s goal was to have her product stand out due to its high quality and design, a tone that would have to transcend throughout the packaging as well. She told us:

Our goal is to create label products that are classic, simple, stylish, modern, contemporary, cute and fun, and the company logo, website, and product packaging should project that feel.

To start, Melanie got to work on logo concepts. Using symbols and elements that represent the whimsical, unique (and of course, sticky) personality of the brand, she presented Jacqueline with type and logo ideas inspired by wood, an octopus, and a frog. Almost immediately, the octopus artwork became the clear winner.

I think it can represent our brand and labels very well – stickiness and waterproof.  With a cute smiley face and sweet colors, this icon can be very cute and fun, having the ‘smile factor’ that we’re looking for.

There was only one small problem: as Melanie got to work refining the logo and finalizing type, texture and color treatments for her branding guide, Jacqueline expressed hesitation about her company name—while initially suitable, it was difficult to pronounce, and she was unsure if kids would get the meaning behind the made-up word.

We changed direction on the project for a bit, pausing any further icon or packaging work to focus on brainstorming a new name. Jacqueline expressed that she loved her octopus logo, and wanted to keep it. She was also interested in a name that either contained the word sticky or alluded to the concept.

Sometimes having very specific boundaries on a project can help in its focus. In this case, having a logo and word choice direction provided an overall theme for the initial round of names. It became an exploration of the different ways sticky could be interpreted, from lasting and lingering to staying put and keeping something close. This also led to a surprising interpretation that gave us the winning name: Sticky Hugs.

I explained to Jacqueline that “I was thinking of how stickers are like a hug for your belongings—they hold on tight and a hug means ‘I’m yours.’ Also, paired with the octopus logo, this concept could be really cute because he has so many arms and so many hugs to give.”

With the new name settled and integrated into the new logo and branding guide, Melanie created stationery and packaging piece brochures for the Sticky Hugs brand:

Then she got started on the brand’s icons, initially illustrating only five, from an elephant to a dolphin to a cupcake, in order to nail down the style before proceeding to the rest of the brand. After a couple of tweaks to the outlines and strokes, Jacqueline gave the green light to continue with 45 more icons. There were fishies! And tea kettles! Rocketships and ladybugs! The Sticky Hugs illustrations were a delight to create and behold!

Most importantly, they delivered on the promise that the logo and brand guidelines make: Sticky Hugs are fun, unique, simple but stylish labels that you’ll want to stick all over your belongings. Each illustration works in tandem with the brand’s graphics to give it an iconic brand identity that’s instantly recognizable and unique to Sticky Hugs.

With the full brand identity, graphics for the product itself, and cohesive product packaging, Jacqueline is all set to debut her new product. We shared earlier that your packaging is more important than the product itself (whaaat?), and we’re glad to have given Sticky Hugs this great start on their journey.

Are you ready to create an iconic brand identity?

Our team loves to zoom out and view everything that makes a brand unique. We then provide a comprehensive suite of branding design, applications, and materials that can be carried into packaging, stationery, marketing, and more. Come talk to us!

Want to figure out how to do this for your own brand? Sign up below to receive our free Logo Help Guide, created for our own clients: