Behind the Specs: Part 1

I have been holding this in for far too long! I've been dying to share the story behind my new logo and branding. I actually started looking for a Logo Designer back in August of 2012. (Well, really a couple of years ago, I'd tried to find a designer and I just couldn't find a really a good fit.) I searched, Googled, scoured Pinterest and found some really rad designers. In the end I contacted a handful and picked one that I really related to, Kathleen of Braid Creative. She quickly emailed me back the sweetest and most encouraging email but the design package she offered was more of an investment than I could make at the time. She generously gave my name to her friend who is also a designer and I'd found the perfect match.... Liz Fabry!

Liz and I emailed back and forth for days figuring things out. I had a lot of questions since I'd never really used a graphic designer to design a logo before. She was incredibly patient, answered all of my questions and her process was awesome. She sent me a group of questions to answer so she could get a good idea about my business, vision and personality. When she emailed me and wrote,"In general, though, I like to figure out what your goals for your business are, who you're targeting, and your personal and professional personality - and blend them all together to create a supertasty brand smoothie." I knew I'd found Designer GOLD! Through the process of answering her questions I found out so much about why I started S&W, what it had become, and what I wanted it to be! I thought it would be fun to share some of my answers with you.

Brand Story:
The name Specs & Wings came from a self portrait I created in college. I had previously been so worried about what my professors and and classmates thought of my art (during the dreaded critiques!) that I stopped creating out of my heart and experiences and began to be frozen in fear. I felt like I couldn't be myself or express myself freely. I had an awesome professor that showed me that my story and style are important. She encouraged me to create out of my art journal and in freedom. My self portrait from that time in my life became a symbol for me of creating and expressing myself authentically.... out of the person that God created me to be, no matter other people thought.

I have always worn glasses (since I was 5 years old !) so I've depicted them in my self portrait representing "being myself". Also, I used the word "specs" because it's a little more unique and vintage-y. The wings in the image represent the freedom of being who I am and not living in fear of other people's expectations of my art.

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Specs & Wings came out of this story! Up next I'll share a little history of S&W and the next steps in the creative process of having a new Logo/Branding designed...