The Brand Bar is Now Open for Business

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Whewww. We are live!

I am so humbled by all the interest and support I have received regarding this little labor of love. I have been thinking about this concept for quite some time now and I am excited (and nervous) to see how it will be received now that it’s been unveiled. While I absolutely love working together with my custom design clients to build their dream brands from the ground up, I also understand that the custom process might not be for everyone and for a variety of different reasons. During my time as the owner of Salted Ink, I have also met so many potential clients that either needed a brand yesterday, have a more modest budget and/or are totally intimidated by the uncertainty of the custom branding process. So I wanted to create a little marketplace where I could try to service those clients a bit better without sacrificing distinction, quality or style with their branding solution.

And at the same time, as a brand designer I constantly have ideas that might not be a fit for any of my custom clients at the time but would hit the nail on the head for some hardworking fellow entrepreneur out there in search of the perfect brand. So I thought, maybe…just maybe I can create some pretty awesome brands that are a complete turn key package (from business card designs to cohesive social media collateral) and they will find a forever home with some amazing business owner out there through the creation of The Brand Bar.

Unlike many of the pre-made logos out there, I really wanted to make The Brand Bar Brands only available for purchase by one person/business. So if you find a brand that speaks to you and fits your business, it’s truly yours. And we spend time custom fitting your new brand so it works for you. Most importantly you are purchasing a full brand, not just a logo. From your submarks to your coordinating business cards and social media collateral, we provide a complete and thoughtfully crafted brand package ready for you to use in 10 business days or less. Pretty cool right?

If you are picking up what we are putting down, you can head on over to the site and check out our inventory. If you don’t see anything that fits your vision, please keep checking back as we plan to keep the inventory coming!

Launching 2016 – The Brand Bar By Salted Ink

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The concept of The Brand Bar has been running through my mind for quite some time now and I am so pumped to announce the official launch in January. While I absolutely love working through the custom design process with my clients, over time I also noticed a trending need that the custom process didn’t quite address. A lot of potential clients have contacted me over the years that were either too time crunched for the custom branding process, not sure how to explain their vision, had anxiety over the unknown of the custom process, and/or just had a limited budget but still really wanted a thoughtfully designed brand that was cohesively crafted and uniquely theirs.

At the same time, as a brand designer I constantly have ideas that might not be a fit for any of my custom clients at the time but would hit the nail on the head for some hardworking fellow entrepreneur out there in search of the perfect brand. So I thought, maybe…just maybe I can create some pretty awesome brands that are a complete turn key package (from business card designs to cohesive social media collateral) and they will find a forever home with some amazing business owner out there through the creation of The Brand Bar.

So there you have it ladies and gents…The Brand Bar is in the works and set to launch January 20th 2016. There will be a range of brand styles in our initial offering, from hand drawn to modern with designs that will cross many industries. All will be custom fitted to the purchasing client and each brand will only be sold once. My plan is to release new brands each quarter but to be honest I am still hammering out the details and open to your suggestions. More details to be announced as we approach so please sign up on The Brand Bar page to be the first to know when we go live and check back to that same page for updates and sneak peeks!

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Brand Launch: Canesmith & Co.

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I had the pleasure of working with Laura, owner and chief of sweets over at Canesmith & Co. on her new brand and packaging for her super delicious gourmet candy line. Not only was Laura a true joy to work with but her candy is damn delicious! She sent me some of her goodies during our project together and I was totally impressed. Do yourself a favor and try one of my favorites – the Soy & Sesame Caramels. So so good!

Laura came to Salted Ink in search of a gender neutral brand with a throwback feel. We also had to make sure the brand design was versatile and could be used for various applications given her line of business. From her product packaging and business cards to her stationery and social media presence, it all came together perfectly. You can take a peek into our branding process below along with some lovely photos compliments of Canesmith & Co. Laura also just launched her online shop so if you are in the UK you can now get her yummy treats delivered right to your door!

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The Process

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lake house  /  slingshot  /  posh tomato  /  fourth ward  /  pattern  /  shoes  /  red onion

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Brand Launch: Lace & Bustle Bridal

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Hey there California Brides – the new Lace and Bustle Bridal Boutique is now open out in Lafayette. Owned by the sweetest of clients, Victoria Hansen, this beautiful shop was designed with so much love. The intimate shop’s selection focuses on timeless bridal style with a vintage flair. Victoria and I came up with a soft color palette that went on to inspire her interior brick and mortar store design.  The custom modern calligraphy logo was the final pick and we hand drew a few wedding dress brand elements to complete her new brand. Below is a peak into our branding process and a few snap shots from the new shop!

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clutch  //  paper  //  hairpiece  //  tule  //  calligraphy  //  hair comb  // elle shop

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Brand Launch: Urban Undercover

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Urban Undercover designs smarter multi-functional essentials that fit better, look better and last longer so you can go about experiencing life. Their practical yet adorable travel tuck pouch makes discretely carrying an extra pair easy. Sairey, the brains and design power behind this operation, and I happen to share a love for black and white with a touch of funky flair which made this project a perfect match. What started as a simple refresh turned into a full blown makeover and I am totally loving the end product we created together. Below is a sneak peak into our brand design process and the full blown custom designed wordpress woocommerce site we launched earlier this summer.

Brand and Color Inspiration

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model  /  sketch  /  28  /  pillow  /  stripes  /  troublemaker  /  we build with love

The Logo Concepts

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Final Brand Board and Styling

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Print and Social Branding

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Custom WordPress Website with WooCommerce Integration

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visit the live site at www.urbanundercover.com

 

 

Brand Launch: Winx Lash & Makeup Studio

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Another beautiful hand lettered brand from this past spring. Winx Lash & Makeup Studio has been consistently voted Houston’s Best Lash Salon and I had so much fun working with owner, Trishia Wiggins, on her new brand and learning all about lashes! Trishia new the new vibe she was going for with her new brand we just had to figure out exactly what that looked like. We had fun translating some of the exact paint colors of her studio to her new brand and working with different variations of hand drawn styles and glyphs for Winx. In the end, Trishia went with the hand drawn calligraphy concept – which I loved as well! I also had the opportunity to design their print material along with their brand new wordpress website which is showcased below.

The Color Inspiration

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plates // face // vava voom // horizon // tule // flower // tiles // fresh ink

Final Brand and Stying

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Branded Print Material

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Custom WordPress Website Design

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Brand Launch: Mikel Rumsey

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I’ve been trying to get caught up from my maternity leave and this is the first in a string of beautiful brands I have yet to launch from my pre-Marshall days. Mikel Rumsey is a super stylish hair and makeup artist out of South Carolina who also has a love for fashion. Her work as been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, Weddings Unveiled, Tryve Magazine, Geraldine Magazine, and Smitten Magazine, as well as Style Me Pretty, Southern Weddings, Grey Likes Weddings, Wedding Chicks…the list goes on. Mikel came to Salted Ink looking for a full brand makeover that spoke more to her own individual style. From the soft and neutral color palette to the hand lettered brush pen logo, this brand is truly one after my own heart.

The Inspiration

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art // blazer // feather // geo pattern // hazel // dots // things // abstract

The Logo Concepts

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The Final Brand Board and Styling

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Print and Social Brand Design

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Custom WordPress Website Design

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Brand Launch: Lustre by Cassandra Couture

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Very pumped to share this new brand for the talented Cassandra Couture, owner of Lustre. Cassandra is a classically trained couturier specializing in completely custom wedding gowns for some very lucky brides. I really enjoyed getting to know Cassandra’s style and helping bring her vision for her new brand to life. Being primarily in the wedding industry, she needed a brand that was feminine and classic. We started with a mostly neutral color palette to set a romantic tone. Our branding concepts were across the board from handwritten calligraphy to clean serif fonts. We also created a beautifully branded custom WordPress website that Cassandra will be officially launching after her own wedding this summer but a few sneak peeks of her design are included below. Best wishes to this lovely bride-to-be with her upcoming wedding in June…you can bet her wedding dress will be to die for!

INSPIRATION

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Paper fashion / dress / texture / gold / dior / headboard / dress

LOGO CONCEPTS

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CUSTOM WORDPRESS WEBSITE

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Brand Launch: Lenore Interior Design

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Clean, Simple, Modern. That’s exactly what Alissa was going for with her new brand for Lenore Design when we started brainstorming in late 2014. She wanted a look that resembled her own interior design style but also wouldn’t compete or clash with the colors in her work when we translated it to her new website. Once we developed the main logo, we came up with a simple submark and a stacked variation for use on multiple different marketing mediums. To complete her brand, the we designed a wordpress website with lots of white space, easy navigation and a lovely portfolio to showcase all of her beautiful work.

The Inspiration

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Bedding / Born / Pine / M / table / Mandy Ward / Pattern

The Final Brand Styling and Print Material

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photo credit to lenore design

Custom WordPress Website Design

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From the Client

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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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