If you think branding is not important, well, think again because it is!!
I created Manuela Valenti Studio in 2000, and it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I actually and finally was happy with my brand! when I opened Manuela Valenti Photography a couple of months ago, I figured “well I am the same person, same company, why not same image, so my photography blog started as Manuela Valenti Studio, same colors and all (I’m a freak for orange!). But after a little while I wasn’t happy one bit! I wanted something different but at the same time similar, something girlie but at the same time elegant, so a rush of ideas started coming to my mind and like a month ago I sat down to put all those ideas on paper.
I knew I liked lavender not only as a color, but as the flower, is my FAVORITE one ever! to the point I grow my own organic lavender in my own garden which I use to make my LavenderAlmond Organic Soaps, yes I do have my own line of exquisite organic soaps and they are to DIE for! my clients can testify for that! 
Aside from lavender I thought “well, I love France, that’s one of my favorite places of all times”, so much that we drove the South of France completely in one trip while living in Spain and the West on a second trip all the way to Paris stopping on almost every little town and village we could find on our way, it was amazing! talk about direct inspiration for my paintings! so with all this, I was going for a more vintage looking French lavender design for my blog. It was not quite ME, me, I’m more modern/abstract/contemporary person (ask my 17 years old! all his friends say I’m the coolest mom ever!! ), but it had the elements I wanted and loved. So here I was with all the info that I wanted for my new design, perfect! so I started working and about a week or so ago I’m popping in into one of my favorite places online SWFB a photography group on flickr, and I stumbled on a thread about how fabulous Stacy Reeves’ new look is! (and let me tell you is FABULOUS!!!) and I almost fell backwards! we love the same thing! lavender! I had a couple similar elements, not exactly the same, but similar, and I thought to myself, I’m doomed completely! I have to start all over again! I mean Stacy Reeves is one of my favorite wedding photographers, but although my colors and overall design were different I wasn’t comfortable, so back to the drawing board.
Starting back again I wanted something that represented me and I made the decision I didn’t want orange as my accent color (a hard decision!). I wanted definitely something modern, contemporary, abstract if you will, but with a small feminine touch, but for days I was completely blocked! I couldn’t pass that barrier! so like everything happens for a reason I remember watching this video from one of the tours/workshops from Jasmine Star (you have to check her work out! is amazing!!) where she talks about branding, how she came up with hers and how incredibly important it is on any business, and although I knew what exactly she was talking about, ’cause hey! I already have a business remember? my studio/gallery business for my paintings, I was still blocked! I knew I needed something and I just couldn’t find it. My brain wasn’t working hard enough, so like I always do to relieve my stress, I grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and started doodling my signature. For years, ever since I was a teenager, I’ve used MValenti as my signature for my paintings and art in general, that’s how I’m known internationally among collectors and galleries, even for my photography, but I still wasn’t sure about using the same signature as my brand. I kept drawing and doodling and I wrote the M in my cursive font to sign my name with a different font just to try and see if that worked. As I’m writing the M I made a mistake and a line came after it. I was thinking at that moment, “ah! another mistake, let me try again” as I’m placing the pencil down on the paper to start again, that’s when it hit me! I had it, right there, in front of me. For years I’ve experimenting on how to write my name with a nice font, because my handwriting really sucks!! so I grabbed a sharpie and a white piece of paper and started making more and more, loose and not so loose, short and long, round and not so round Ms until I made the perfect one which is the one you are seeing in my new logo. I took a picture, cleaned the signature, made some photoshop magic and that’s how my branding came out.
The colors? well, basically they are the same ones I use for Manuela Valenti Studio but since I knew I had to change the main color (orange) ’cause I already had made the decision to part away the two businesses (still crying about it!), I started hunting for a nice color that would match perfectly with my dark gray (or grey as you prefer) and white. I tried many, including red, too typical and an era I just don’t want to go back to!… blue was completely out of the question (I’m just not a blue color fan)… green, LOVELY!!!… yellow? too bright, plus it’ll look like a bumble bee!… purple? not quite, although my oldest son liked it!… back again to the blockage, what color now?!… I had to take a break or I would go crazy. I entered my painting studio as I needed to clean some old paint I had left on the tray and I saw the color, fuchsia! I finally had it! I ran to my computer and the blockage was gone! my ideas started floating like crazy! my brain was finally organized and on track! I was able to design in no time the entire new look for my photography site! in no time everything was ready (it’s good that aside from an artist, I’m a graphic designer and web designer huh?!
Yet, after I thought I had the color, fuchsia, figured out here comes my little one and after a while looking how I’m playing with colors he says “I don’t like that pink, I like the green better, it matches the color of your eyes” HA! and I thought I had all ready! here comes this little guy about to loose another tooth anxious ’cause the tooth fairy will leave him $20 under his pillow, makes a statement out of nowhere and I crumble! I was so sure, so convinced about my business decision and I crumbled?!?! oh boy! the doubts back again, which one! fuchsia or green? or should I just cave in and go for the orange and call it a day? HELP!!!
If you want to help, then place your vote below in the comment area, ’cause I’m dying here! two simple choices, this exotic tropical green you see in my blog right now or the luscious fuchsia below?
What started as a quest to find the perfect design that would match me, Manuela Valenti the person, the artist behind the camera and the head of the business ended up being the most rewarding process I have ever done for myself and the most challenging at the same time.
Now what is left is design the business cards (if I ever decide on the color!), and all my marketing material that will match my new simple but elegant design, I can’t wait!!
Coming up with a design for your business whether you do it yourself or hire a company to do it, is tricky and sometimes frustrating. A design that matches your personality as a business owner is extremely important as is the first thing any client will see before even considering hiring you. The key to find your brand is look deep inside yourself and find what you like the most, what you identify the most with. It could be really anything, even a bouquet of flowers, or a piece of candy, but whatever it is, as a business you build your entire empire around it as that would be crucial for your future clients to identify with you, the person and the business behind the product your offer.
If you want to, I would love your feedback on my new design, I really do! so click below and start typing! and don’t forget to tell me which color you like the most!… I love them both, so this is a real dilema for me!
Until next time!
