2015 Is turning out to be a big one, like for real

MarshallEDartBlog

So this is a little secret I have been holding close on the professional front for almost 22 weeks now. I always struggle with how much of my personal life my readers really want to see on my blog but I have learned over time that these posts are the insights into our lives that make us relatable and real, a bit more than just website designs and brand launches. I often find myself enjoying the little personal life snapshots my fellow designers and bloggers post the most. It’s so refreshing to hear them share their story, their struggles and their life experiences. So I made a new years resolution to do the same and be a little more open on my blog from time to time. To put real person behind this thing I call Salted Ink. I just hope I don’t bore you guys to death.

And with that resolution in mind, I’m coming out of the gate with some pretty big news on the personal front. Scott and I (and of course Finley and Bailey) are so very pumped to share that we have another dude joining this family at the end of May. We are so seriously grateful for this gift and the opportunity to start our family. This one, Marshall Everett Dart, will hopefully shed a little less and be raised to have better manners than his older, furry brothers.  But of course, in this house we can’t make any promises. We are just lucky if he is potty trained by age 10.

Most of you know that Scott is also on the home stretch of med school, graduating from Virginia Tech Carilion in early May. But here is another fun fact – we have no clue where this baby will be born until the residency assignment ceremony on March 20th.  We will then find out where Scott “matched” and will be rushing to get settle in before this little monster gets here and Scott starts his job in mid-June. This has been our impending doom ever since Scott left for school.  We always knew we were going to be assigned a residency spot (with little control) that would determine where we spend the next several years so we are very anxious and ready – I think. There are several places we could end up, mostly on the east coast, but we are crossing our fingers and toes for one of our top picks for sure. Most of all, we are looking forward to finally settling into a place we can call home together for a while instead of the constant back and forth between cities and states. And I will also simultaneously start my official countdown to our move back to the beach when the residency is complete. Oh how I miss that place and those people.

So that’s a little peek into our crazy lives here at the Dart household. This year should be packed full of exciting, challenging and life changing events and I look forward to sharing a bit more with you guys as we carry out our little journey. That along with some lovely brand designs, of course. Here’s to an unforgettable 2015!

Brand Launch: Green Clean Co.

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Happy 2015 all.  So we are already more than half of the way through January and I am just now writing my first blog of the year…yikes. I feel like I am just getting caught up from my little holiday sabbatical but it does feel so good to be back and in the swing of things. Here is a little brand I had the honor of designing back in October for the lovely Katie, owner of Green Clean Organic Home Cleaning Company in Canada. Katie really wanted to stand out from her competition in the area and loved the idea of a very glam color palette complete with gold glitter, a bold black and several shades of coral and peach.  Already a fan of the retro style, she went with a slightly throwback circular logo and we were able to keep a little consistency from her old brand by refurbishing her little cleaning lady icon from her previous logo as an element in her new brand. A little peek into our branding process is below…

The Inspiration

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blood orange / pants / makeup / the studio shop / watercolor / june & jae / earnest postal service

The Logo Concepts

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The Final Brand and Styling

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