OUR BLOG

Here you will find our latest works, company news and more. We update it on a regular basis so be sure to come back soon. Please like, share, pin or tweet the post you enjoy.

Logo Design & Branding for a Pennsylvania Photographer

Posted on April 20, 2015

We had the pleasure of meeting Pam Baumann at this years Shutterfest. Pam is a professional photographer based out of Limerick, Pennsylvania. She originally started out as a nature photographer and is now focusing more on family and individual portraiture. When we met Pam she had no idea what she wanted her brand to look like. Since we were in the trade show area, I decided to start helping her define her brand by visiting the Photo Flash Drive booth. I asked her what style of zip drive or box was she drawn to. She walked right past the modern crystal drive, and the high-fashion alligator skinned boxes and went immediately towards the premium wood packaging. This was the start of defining her brand. We then discussed what large named brands have an aesthetic that she gravitates towards but she couldn’t think of any. As we walked through the trade show we were discussing the booth designs, that’s when she saw one she really loved. I can’t recall the name of the company, but the booth used worn corrugated metal, reclaimed wood, earth tones and had a very rustic look and feel, yet it still felt inviting and warm. She instantly said that was the direction she wanted to go. Once I saw that booth it reminded me of Timberland, the boot company, so I mentioned that brand to her and she agreed that it had elements she liked.

From there, we discussed what type of logo she wanted, a type-based logo, a monogram, a crest of some kind or one with an icon. Without hesitation Pam said she wanted an icon. We then talked about what the icon could be, as the best ones have some type of meaning behind them. The conversation started with Pam possibly wanting to use hills, a sunset with trees, etc. but I told her icons need to be simple. It then went into possibly using a camera aperture or shutter, which I hate to use unless it is incorporated in a clever and memorable way. We despise photography logos that use generic cameras or shutters, they feel so impersonal and cliche.

This led us to the discussion of possibly using a tree which is a great symbol for family. We talked about using a tree with her initials hidden in the branches, but she was not sold. The conversation then moved into using a leaf or leaves. By this time Pam’s visual brand was pretty well defined. It was natural, rustic and colorful yet warm. That is when it hit me, using leaves to create an camera aperture. I drew a quick sketch and Pam was instantly sold. My first concern was has it been done before, I searched a couple of the largest logo databases along with Google Images and found nothing. This made us both extremely happy.

Below in Pam’s new logo along with the beginning stages of her visual branding package, including sample identity, flash drive packaging, typefaces and color palettes.

Pam-Baumann-logo-branding

Do you need help defining your brand and implementing a full identity package to match? Give Visual Lure a call today at 618-407-9231, we would love to help you find your brand.

Click here to view more of our photography logos and branding packages »

 

Logo Design & Branding Package for St. Louis Grand Champion Grill Masters

Posted on February 18, 2015

A personal friend of ours is a member of a St. Louis Grand Champion barbecue crew, and a couple months ago we had the pleasure of tasting some of his scrumptious dishes. It was some of the best ribs, pork steaks, brats and chicken we’ve ever had. Last year his team won the title of Grand Champions at The 10th Annual Wildwood Barbecue Bash. The year before that they won for best chicken.

While we were feasting on his fine cuisine, we started to discuss the name of his team, Mr. Pink BBQ. The name was inspired by Steve Buscemi’s character in Reservoir Dogs.  I instantly saw a new logo in my head. Mr. Pink, dressed in his all black suit and skinny tie – riding a pig like a bull rider – holding on to some type of grilling utensil.

Below is that vision taken from conception to completion, including an alternative logo format, trailer graphics, sample patterns, color palette, typefaces and identity package.

mr-pink-logo-design-branding

If you are interested in our logo design or branding services give us a call today at 618.407.9231 or email us at info@visuallure.com.

Eight Visual Lure Logos Selected for Logo Lounge 9 Publication

Posted on February 16, 2015

Visual Lure is once again honored to have work selected for publication in the LogoLounge series. LogoLounge is without a doubt THE best and most prestigious logo design publication in the World. This year’s panel of international judges consisted of Kendrick Kidd of Shepherd Agency, Matt McCracken of Doublenaut, Sebastian Padilla of Anagrama, Ian Paget of LogoGeek, Tracy Sabin of Sabingrafik, Christopher Simmons of MINE, Matt Stevens of Design Office of Matt Stevens, and Alina Wheeler of Designing Brand Identity. Over 23,000 logos were submitted with only the cream of the crop selected.

“The final collection is not only an excellent point-in-time examination, it is full to the brim with inspiration, higher thinking, and craftsmanship.” – Bill Gardner, LogoLounge Founder.

The new book will be released by HOW/F+W Media, Inc in early 2016.

This will be the 6th LogoLounge Book we’ve been published in with a total of 19 logos to date.

 

Here are our logos that were selected:

Logo-Lounge-9-winners

Ironically, most of the logos chosen for publication were not the logos our clients selected, except for the Abiding Grace and da Vinci Tree logos.

If you are looking for one of the best logo designers in St. Louis, MO, or anywhere else in the World, give Visual Lure a call today. We would love to design a logo for you that is memorable, timeless and eye-catching. You never know, the logo we design for you could be published in the next LogoLounge book.

Complete Branding Package for a Pittsburgh Photography Studio

Posted on December 18, 2014

We recently wrapped up a complete visual branding package for Wright Image Photography, a Pittsburgh area family and wedding photography studio. We actually started with their logo and website last year and just completed the letterhead system, packaging and wedding brochure. The new pieces will utilize specialty printing with the logo being gold foil stamped on the letterhead, paper bags and wedding brochure.

Sticking with the white and gold color theme, we selected a crystal flash drive with a gold cap from photoflashdrive.com and we found brass metal business cards at mymetalbusinesscard.com (that look gold). These will we be used for the labels on their large prints and canvases – which will be wrapped in white craft paper and a white ribbon. As mentioned before, the bag will have a gold foil stamped logo, and patterned or solid metallic gold tissue paper will top it off.

Due to the custom search engine optimized WordPress website we created for them last year, they have more than doubled their weddings for next (all without any additional marketing). This bump in income has allowed them to reinvest in the company and they are now working on creating a solid marketing plan for next year. We are also currently converting their existing website to be responsive to improve traffic, lower the bounce rate and provide a better overall user experience.

It is always a pleasure to work with clients that understand and value the power of good design and cohesive visual branding. If you are one of those people, give us a call today, we would love to help take your business to the next level.

wright photography branding package

Update: Printed samples of the new brochure and identity design package just came in. They printed beautifully!

wright-identity-design2

wright-identity-design1

wright-brochure-design2

wright-brochure-design1

View more of our photography logos and branding packages »

 

New Logo for a Chicago Glamour/Fashion Photographer

Posted on November 26, 2014

Jeremy Cheshareck is a portrait and glamour photographer located in Joliet, Illinois, just south of Chicago. His photography is edgy with a high-end fashion aesthetic. After meeting with Jeremy, he had just decided to break his current brand into two entities: Jeremy Cheshareck Photography and J. Chez Photography. Jeremy Cheshareck Photography will focus on high school seniors and portraiture, and J. Chez will focus on glamour and fashion. He chose to split the two because he didn’t want to alienate seniors and their parents with his more risque fashion work. We, along with the Salvatore Cincotta team, helped him come up with J. Chez Photography. This name keeps his new brand personal but allows him to market to a completely different audience.

Jeremy didn’t want his new logo to feel like a photography logo and he really wanted to incorporate lions into the design somehow. Below is the new logo along with a sample identity package, including business cards, letterhead and envelopes. The new logo features a J.C. monogram sandwiched between two lions and topped with a crown.

 

J. Chez Photography branding/logo design

Update: Here is the logo with a new steel effect added to it.

J. Chez Photography Logo Steel effect

…and the new logo for his sister brand Jeremy Cheshareck Photography:

JC-photography-logo

View more of our photography logos and branding packages »

 

Branding Package for a North Carolina Photographer

Posted on November 19, 2014

Warren McCormack is a very talented photographer located in Cary, North Carolina. I had the pleasure of meeting Warren at last year’s Shutterfest as he assisted me with setting up my presentations on branding and search engine optimization (SEO). Warren recently contracted me to help him build a cohesive visual branding package.

Not all the branding and identity work we do starts from scratch. That is the case with this project. Before Warren came to us, he had a hodgepodge of branding materials. Much of his marketing and collaterals used different color logos and overall his pieces did not complement each other as a good visual brand should. That is where we came in.

Warren liked, and wanted to keep his existing icon. He just wanted to upgrade the typography in the logo. He also wanted us to help him tie everything together so that his brand had one cohesive look and feel. Other than that, his only request was to design using a SIMPLE and CLEAN aesthetic.

Below you can see our work to date (right underneath his old logo). The original logo was sometimes used in grey and other times in black. The icon was much too large for the type and the typography didn’t really complement the icon. The new modified logo is better balanced and the new custom designed W and M in his name help tie the icon and type together. In addition to the logo upgrade we helped Warren make sure that his new identity system and packaging all matched (which can all be seen below).

This is an open project, so check back soon for any updates, and contact us today if you need help with your branding, logo or packaging. We would love to help.

Warren McCormack Photography Branding

Logo Design for a Northern Illinois Vegetable Farm

Posted on November 10, 2014

My mother recently asked me to design a new logo for her family’s farm. The farm is located just north east of Rockford in Caledonia, Illinois. It used to be her mother and father’s farm and today one of my aunts, and some of my cousins, are growing fresh vegetables there and selling them at a local farmer’s market.

It was initially going to be called Corner Creek Farm, but after some discussion we decided to name it Adamson Family Farm. I was having a hard time coming up with a solid concept for Corner Creek Farms, but once they decided to go with Adamson Family Farm, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to incorporate a picture of my Grandpa, Andrew Adamson, in the design of the new logo. Below is a picture of my mother’s family with my Grandpa at the bottom right. He was a farmer, and a carpenter, and I believe the source of my creativity as he too was an artist (with wood, and a very handy guy). He is also the one responsible for my large ears.

Using the picture my mother provided I hand drew his face, added a hat, and I put him in overalls as that is what he would always be wearing. Below the family photo are the final three and two-color logos and the one color logo options (one reversed out and the other one solid). Underneath that is a sample box, t-shirt and bags showcasing how the new logo can be applied. At the very bottom is the brand color palette and typefaces.

 

Adamson Family Farm logo design & branding