Begin with your Brand: The Paper Seahorse

The Paper Seahorse offers luscious paper goods and crafts to passionate creative folks by curating handwritten and handmade experiences. Tona, the owner of the company, wrote to us when she was ready to have a professional new logo and identity created for The Paper Seahorse. She told us:

We created a logo two years ago to test the waters by walking the NSS and hosting some classes. Our goal is to have a logo and branding guidelines we can use for business cards, letterhead, envelopes, stickers, flyers, web site, etc. We would hope people see the logo and have a sense of the organic, classic yet modern, friendly, unusual and edgy feel of our shop.

Margot on our team got to work creating a new seahorse! Tona wanted a more simplified version of what she began with, and Margot found the perfect balance of simplifying the mark, while including slightly irregular, pointy bits and details, plus a little twinkle in his eye, to add a touch of character! Once the seahorse was finalized, she rounded out the brand identity by choosing fonts and colors which Tona can use on both the web and print materials.

We asked Tona what made her decide it was time to make the leap to having a professional logo created. She shared with us:

Officially opening an online store and physical shop was the trigger to get a professional logo done. Not one that I made myself! I also know that there are so many mediums and channels of communications that you need to have many variations in many sizes and formats. Only true design professionals can do this and help you think through all the nuances of social media and marketing.

We have a more cohesive brand and identity because we have so many different elements to work with, we can be really fun and creative. Before we only had a logo (a mark and type).

It was totally worth the investment and I am probably a bad client from a design perspective and wanting to micromanage the process, however Margot never let on and guided me gently through the process and I had to learn to let go and trust her. I am so glad I did!

The additional resources that Arianne shared with me were super helpful too. I also love that your own packaging and experience along the way (all the touch points) were very well branded and professional. I wish I could find every partner/vendor experience to be like this one. I highly recommend you all to everyone!

Tona used her new brand identity to create store signs, stickers, bags, tags, and all of the other print collateral that she needs to provide a fantastic customer experience. Tona was also able to take her new logo, brand identity and the brand guidelines Margot created and use them to set up a simple website, which is a perfect first step! When The Paper Seahorse hits its next phase of growth, we’ll be here to create a beautiful, functional custom website.

Does Your Business Need a New Brand Identity?

If you can afford just one thing, and the rest will have to wait, begin with your brand! You’ve done the thinking about what’s unique about your brand, what it stands for, and what its story is. Now tell that story to an Aeolidia designer, and let her create a graphic design that will communicate this and show that your business is legitimate, interesting, and worth learning more about. Talk to us!