Time for a Refresh - Why and How I Rebranded My Business

For a long time now I haven't been 100% happy with my branding. As my products and designs have developed I felt the bright blue of my logo was too much of a contrast. One customer asked me to leave off the blue woven label from her Christmas stocking order, and a very forward lady at a trade show straight forward told me I should loose the blue! And do you know what? She was right. With that in mind at the end of last year I had a consultation with Tamsin from Monroe Creative and took the plunge.

Why I Choose Monroe Creative?

I have been following Tamsin on social media for years. We both sold on Not On The High Street, and she founded and ran Studio Seed very successfully, until she moved into branding and website design. I have always admired her style and aesthetic, and thought it would work well with my products. From our very first zoom call it was clear she understood what I was trying to achieve, and the clients and customers I was aiming for. It also turns out she previously studied textile design, so when I started talking about blanket stitch she knew exactly what I was on about.

What was the Rebrand Process?

Before the designing even started, Tamsin sent me a very comprehensive questionnaire to complete. Questions like "Why did you start your brand" and "What impact do you want your brand to have on your customers and the world?". This really helped strip things back and felt like a bit of a much needed reset. We also discussed who my ideal clients were, down to what they read and how they spent their time online. My absolute favourite question was "If my brand were at a dinner party, what sort of host/guest would they be?"

The Pinterest board we used to collect images for inspiration. You can see there is a strong vintage theme and I especially love the little blouse backing card for the buttons.

Needless to say a Pinterest board was created. I tried to add pins, not just of branding and packaging, but little details and illustrations that spoke to me. Just like the Beatrix Potter illustration from The Tailor of Gloucester of the mouse sat on a spool of thread. I just added what I liked regardless of colour and style, but interestingly when I had finished there was defiantly a theme. 

Taking all of this information on board, Tamsin created logos and a colour pallet that spoke to me and really encapsulated Kate Sproston Design. Clean and modern with a vintage feel, little details were added to highlight the handmade nature of the brand.

The Brand Details I LOVE!

Taking inspiration from my Instagram feed and product photography, it became very clear that I was drawn to a natural colour pallet with touches of green. The addition of the colour 'Ink' rather than black gives a nod to the hand drawn nature of my design process, and I especially love that one of the colours is also a texture, with the addition of 'Brown Paper/Vintage Wood'

The final colour pallet including a gorgeous sage and moss green, plus the paper/vintage wood textured brown chip for a really vintage feel. 

Tamsin and I spoke about micro design features and clever little details that reflect what a brand has to offer. With this in mind, Tamsin added a tiny eye of a needle to the middle of the K, which tied in nicely with the needle used to underline the final logo. Blanket and straight stitch were added to the sticker design, along with a needle and thread. I especially loved this motif as it reminded me of the mouse illustration mentioned earlier. 

There were a few tag line ideas floated, but the moment I read "Made To Be Treasured" I knew it would fit perfectly. It is everything I want my products to be.

Left: My new secondary logo featuring the tiny needle eye in the K. Right: This stamp logo is going to make a fabulous sticker to add to orders once wrapped in tissue paper, complete with the amazing tag line.

As part of the brand strategy, Tamsin created a couple of prints that could be used as backgrounds on my website or for printed material. The traditional ticking pattern is already used as part of my rabbit fabric pot designs and fit perfectly, but I was most excited by the sewing motifs design. I loved how metal machine bobbins were used to reflect the fact I use a digital embroidery machine. I cant wait to get this printed onto tissue paper at a later date. 

Left: The ticking print which reflects the fabric used in the Rabbit Fabric Pot perfectly. Right: A mock up of the sewing motifs print on tissue paper.

Finally, both of the fonts used in the logo have a history and heritage. Especially the tagline font, which is a revival of the original 1913 ‘Johnston’ typeface, commissioned for the London Electric Railway. And with my Dad working for British Rail for nearly 30 years, it reminds me of him and is a nice nod to the support I get from my family.

My final primary logo which will be added to swing tags. I am so pleased with the clean, heritage style finish.

Going into Production

I have worked with Dot2Dot Branding for years and they have always supplied my woven and swing tags, so it was just a case of creating design sheets they could work from. I have had six new items created in total, including backing cards for my embroidered patches and brooches. This process took quite a while, making sure all the little details printed nicely and the font was clear on the woven tags. Samples were made and tweaked, but after many long months I am so excited to start using my new branding.

Left: The mock ups I created with all the sizes and colour references. Right: The finished backing cards.

My very first logo based on my handwriting has served me well, with a loud shade of blue that I thought would help me get noticed. Now I have branding that really reflects everything Kate Sproston Design is about. Thoughtfully made heritage pieces to be treasured from generation to generation. Designed and embroidered with quiet confidence. 

Left: The very first bright blue Kate Sproston Design tags. Right: The new upgraded woven labels and swings tags. What an upgrade!

I hope you have enjoyed finding out about the rebrand, and if you would like to know a bit more I am more than happy to share. Thank you for reading.