If you’ve been around since the beginning of Mad Hearts, you’ve probably seen the very many branding and logo changes we’ve gone through. Only Madonna can rival us in the makeover department! For better or worse, I tend to work through the kinks of my business through trial and error. It’s not the best way to do things (especially when there’s expenses involved), but sometimes you just have to take the scenic route to figure out where you want to be. The first logo I created was based out of need. I was starting my business and I needed a logo for my website, watermark and business cards. So I didn’t put much thought into it. I decided on a typewriter font in black with a hot pink heart. Not really sure what I was thinking! It looked very teeny bopper and nothing like me at all. Over the years, the look continued to evolve. We did scripted fonts and type fonts. Our colors changed from hot pink to aqua to aqua/yellow/gray. I hired professional designers and tackled a few of the designs myself. Everything changed at one point or another, except the name! All the while, I kept spending money on new business cards, branding/marketing materials and supplies with each evolution and yet, never feeling quite satisfied with the final product. I was one step closer to where I wanted to be, but couldn’t figure out what was amiss.
In the last year, I realized I was looking outward for inspiration when I should have been looking inward. For starters, I was using what I was currently shooting (family and children) to inspire my logo and branding. The problem is that I really wanted to focus on weddings, couples and glamour, but nothing about my branding indicated that was the clientele I was after. Everything from my colors to my font choices to my packaging screamed “child photographer”. It’s no wonder I wasn’t getting the kind of assignments I really wanted. And let’s not forget: as an independent photographer, I’m selling myself – as well as my work. The colorful branding was not something that I could relate to at all. I wear black about 90% of the time. My house is painted different shades of gray. I adore reclaimed wood, industrial elements, clean lines and neutral pieces. I didn’t love it because it wasn’t ME! Plain and simple. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, but it took me four years and a dozen “makeovers” to finally come to the obvious conclusion. The new Mad Hearts branding is clean, modern and simple and reflective of the woman behind the brand. My guess is that this one will be sticking around a little longer than the others because it resonates with me on a personal level and more importantly, it reflects the directions in which I want my business to go. If you ever find yourself in a similar rut, take a personal inventory. Perhaps ask your closest friends/family members how they would describe you and your style and make a list. If there’s a general theme in the responses, then you’re off to a good starting point. It’s so much easier to sell your brand when you ARE your brand!
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Tiffany B. - Great post Maddy! I think this is one of the hardest parts of owning your own business. We put so much time and energy into our small businesses but at the same time we can’t think clearly. It’s so hard since we are only people in our business. I know I get sucked down the rabbit hole a lot online looking for ideas and what is happening. I know if I walk away and think on my own, the ideas will start to come out of my head instead of someone else’s.
Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - So true! I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest for that same reason. It’s true – so many great ideas that you can stare at for hours! But I sometimes a good brainstorming session with a pen and pad yields better results :)
Barbara - Hi Maddy! I just found you and your beautiful pictures via Communal Global (I’m one one the corrent contributor and i was looking to the “old friends” page when i found you!) i love this advice section (as well as all the blog).. i would love to become a photographer as well (kids are my passion) and i just tried to think about the logo of my blog and how can be more ME. asking to friends and family can definetely be the solution! Thanks!