What's in a Brand?

I've been lucky enough to land a lot of branding projects lately--everything from a chain of kidney hospitals to a dog rescue group. Branding is one of my very favorite parts of my job. I get to help companies express who they really are, and it is a blast.

Medical design is extremely different from animal design. Health industry branding is typically calm, sterile, simple, and geometric. (see announcement postcard to the left.) If you're at a doctor's office, you already have a lot on your mind, so the design should be as clear and easy to read as possible.  My personal art style is usually bright, often humorous, and almost always playful, so branding a medical company is actually a very enjoyable challenge to contain myself, reel the ideas in, and keep the design simple. Branding is all about portraying the essence of the company, and as a designer, I feel quite lucky to get to listen hard, explore the options, and help companies visually show the world who they are and what they're all about.

---

On the opposite end of the design spectrum from medical branding, and in the same day at work, I am creating marketing materials for a new dog rescue group out of Fort Collins, Colorado. They want a strong tie to Colorado flag colors-- blue, yellow, red, and white-- and a fun, cartoony dog logo. Animal marketing lends itself quite well to photographs, casual typography, and vivid colors.