A few weeks ago, I shared a newsletter where I broke down one of my older designs and explained how I would approach it differently today with my current knowledge and experience.
Since you all enjoyed the last redesign so much, I thought I'd share another one!
So let me introduce Freya’s Frocks.
Freya (the seamstress behind the brand) creates amazing dresses by hand.
She hired me back in 2020 to design her logo and briefed me to ‘make the design cute and personable whilst reflecting what I do’.
Here’s what I came up with ⬇️
At the time, 22 year old Abi thought she’d smashed it (even the client liked it).
But knowing what I know now, I would approach this so differently.
As designers, it is important to create something that honours the clients’ wishes (to a certain extent).
However, what I failed to do was create something strategic (you know, that buzzword every designer seems to be using on Instagram these days). It simply means designing with intent and having solid reasons behind your design decisions.
Let’s breakdown what I could of improved ⬇️
1. A Literal Depiction
The use of a hanger in a clothes brand logo is about as original as a coffee bean in a coffee shop logo. To be blunt, it’s hugely overdone. When something has been done time and time again, it feels gimmicky and unprofessional.
2. Unreadable Text
Whilst the handwritten font reinforces the handcrafted nature, this font selection was very poor. It’s hard to decipher one letter from the next and therefore as a whole, it’s pretty hard to read.
3. Chaotic Creativity & Composition
The layout of the logo is somewhat unhinged, drawing your eyes in a million different directions. As a logo is a brands first impression, a design like this could leave a few overwhelmed and likely to move on.
4. Designed for the Wrong Crowd
Freya designs Frocks for adult women. The overly playful aesthetic paired with pink digital glitter screams youthful - and not in a good way.
It's safe to say this logo is a bit confused.
But it perfectly encapsulates where I was as a designer back then - new to freelance, unsure of the what's and how's, yet focused simply on doing the work.
And that’s the beauty of learning as you go.
Through my ‘logo fails’ I’ve learned so much about what makes an impactful logo design.
So, if I was given this brief today, here's what would I do differently...
1. Choose a Simplified Handwritten Font
I'd opt for a cleaner handwritten type to reinforce the craftmanship and creativity behind the brand whilst ensuring that the new type is much clearer and easier to read.
2. Curate a Mature(r) Colour Palette
To align better with the target market, I'd curate a colour palette devised of a series of shades with pink undertones. This new direction is reminiscent of the old palette but feels refined and appropriate, (more mature).
3. Refine the Composition
With what might be the biggest and most beneficial change, I'd stack the words to portray the seamlessness between the creator and her creations and, removed the fluff (overly designed aesthetic). Now, the design is inviting and easy to digest.
4. Innovate with Subliminal Messages
Instead of opting for an overly obvious design, I'd explored ways of discreetly incorporating a needle / thread into the logo to infer to the nature of the brand whilst ensuring it doesn’t dominate the design.
The Finished Product
The revised design embodies the quirks of the business while positioning the brand in a more sophisticated and impactful way. It's no longer likely to be mistaken for a brand targeting young girls, but rather appeals to stylish, mature women.
To briefly summarise, the new logo design:
✅ Aligns with the correct market
✅ Lightly presents the clients preferences
✅ Subtly infers to the industry served
✅ Will be more likely to stand the test of time.
And that, my friends, is the beauty of intentional design backed by strategy!
If you enjoyed this let me know and I can do some more in the future (I have a whole bunch of old work than I can redesign).
Until next time,
Abi 😊
P.s if you want to see the video version of this redesign, you can here
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