It’s not often one gets a brief that simply states “we want our logo to look like an acid trip” and yet that is the brief that Rebecca Hall and Fiona Carson presented me with when we were discussing their new venture.

Bec and Fo are both successful portrait and family photographers in their own right and had joined forces under the banner of CarsonHall to photograph weddings. Initially the brief was to develop a new identity for CarsonHall but as we progressed with the project the realisation dawned that it would be easier to throw the lot in and take the ride together, sharing the same seat.

And so, Bec+Fo was born.

The logo pretty much speaks for itself (ok, well it may YELL it!) The individual elements can all be extracted and used to support their brand throughout the marketing collateral. Ironically it was the last icon I threw in, the two paperdolls, that Bec and Fo had already been using as an interim promo without me knowing. This bit of synchronicity has evolved to be the icon of the brand in some respects and really does represent all the Bec+Fo goodness in one neat package.

Head over to the website to check out more of their work – www.becplusfo.com.au

Posted by Netra on Jul 21st 2010 | corporate - design - graphic design - marketing
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Fiona Rogerson contacted me about a total revamp of her business. Fiona had been working with a business coach and was ready to take her business to the next level. Part of that was a sophisticated new look and identity.

Fiona’s photography is best expressed as large art prints for walls and she wanted an icon or symbol that she could use as a stamp across a large variety of material. After  the intial round of concepts, we were working through a few ideas and I had a flash of inspiration with regards to the business initials.

As Fiona specialises in maternity and newborn photography, I used the E from ‘Evoke’ to form the silhouette of the pregnant female form, while the ‘a’ becomes the baby, curled up inside. Fiona said:

“Netra… is the amazing talent behind my new brand. She took my incredibly vague ideas and transformed them into something unique and clever that speaks volumes about me and my photography.”

HUGE congrats to you Fiona, it is so exciting to see everything finally launched and I sure you will do amazing things with this business. Well done!!!

Make sure to check out Evoke art   to see the new logo and branding!

Posted by Netra on Jun 29th 2010 | brochure - card - design - flyer - graphic design - marketing
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Some time ago I did some design work for the team at Joe’s BBQs in NSW – long before this blog existed. The were after a design for their own BBQ cleaning product, and then the following year came back to revamp the design.  They have recently updated their website, done a TV advert and started a Facebook page as well. When I checked out the site today, I was pleased as punch to see the product listed in the BBQ consumables section!

Below you will find the designs for the first design (red and black option) and the updated can design (with the yummy looking steak). Make sure to check out the store in person or online if you’re in the market for a new BBQ or outdoor furniture.

Posted by Netra on Apr 28th 2010 | commercial - corporate - design - graphic design - marketing
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Andrea Sproxton contacted me earlier this year to help her revamp her existing brand and identity. There was nothing ‘wrong’ with her existing identity. It was perfectly serviceable, decent colours – only problem was that she didn’t LOVE it.

She wasn’t over-the-moon in love with her brand. In my humble opinion (and not speaking specifically about Andrea, but rather more generally), when you talk to people about you business and your brand - if you don’t love it and aren’t passionate about it – then that creeps into your voice and clients pick up on it.

How can you expect clients to have an emotional connection to your brand, if you are ho-hum about it yourself?

I am sure there are perfectly successful businesses that run very well without this kind of logo-love, but for a small business, trying to do Big Things, surely it must come into the equation. In my ideal world, I want my clients to love their brand so much that they want to slap it on some toast and eat it for breakfast! Or better still, get it printed on a t-shirt and wear it out in public.

I’ll get off the soapbox now and leave you with the final designs for logo, business cards and email footer. Thanks Andrea, I hope this is the start of great things to come.

Posted by Netra on Mar 23rd 2010 | corporate - design - graphic design - marketing - photography
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The amazing, hip, cool team at Marque Lawyers asked me to come up with a graphic for their client page. I had previously captured profile photos for the team which were a heap of fun. At first I thought I could do a nice background image for the client list, or jazz it up with a couple of unusual bullet points… but I should have known better!

They said they wanted a cartoon illustration of a city skyline. So I went away and found some nice, sensible-looking, lawyer-appropriate line drawing illustrations and sent those back to them… I realllly should have known better!

The team at Marque are unlike any other lawyers you’ve ever met. As it turns out, they wanted a cartoon – a real cartoony-looking cartoon – with aiplanes trailing banners, a little man jumping out of a plane, billboards and skywriting to boot!

So after some design dialogue – they have uploaded the final graphic to their website and I can finally share. One of the more fun projects from this year. Make sure to take a look around their website too, it’s witty and entertaining – as I said, they are not like any other lawyers you’ll ever meet. Put simply – they just rock!

Posted by Netra on Mar 9th 2010 | corporate - design - graphic design - marketing
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Phillippa Smoker of Sweet Chilli Philly Photography approached me a couple of months ago to design a logo for her existing photography business. Her photography had evolved over the past year or so and her existing logo was not as relevant as it was when she first developed it.

With a business name like hers, there is a automatic gravitation towards making the most of the ‘chilli’ component, but Philly (as she prefers to be called) wanted to stay away from all things hot and spicy and tone down her brand to match her niche and target market. She wanted to maintain her name as she found it was working well and clients remembered her.

To be honest it was a very challenging brief and we didn’t want to use an icon that was irrelevant or random. So after much brainstorming I decided to focus on the initials of her biz name and develop a seal or crest somewhat like a cameo, that could be used as part of her packaging as well.

One of the very first concepts I did had included the notion of some dubious looking supporting brand elements in the shape of a few animal characters (dubious due to my dubious computer illustration skills). After much refinement, and a few epiphanies to boot, the final range of ’sweet’ animals came to be. They include a puppy, a cat, an elephant, a solemn looking bear, a ladybird and an egg in a nest. If you didn’t notice, each of the faces of the little guys are based on the shape of the logo – in fact the outline of the logo was used to create their little heads. These little characters will support the SCP brand and appear in her marketing and promotional material.

Posted by Netra on Mar 3rd 2010 | corporate - design - graphic design - marketing - photography
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Last year Mel sent me an email about helping her brand her business. She hadn’t developed a logo or identity as such, but had been going with the look and feel of her blog and trying to tie it all in together. As with many of my clients, if there is no primary identity each of the bits and pieces of marketing tends to find its own direction. Though each piece may be serviceable and work in their own right, tying it all in together becomes a challenge.

Mel specifically requested a butterfly be incorporated into her logo as well as a fairly relaxed, friendly style that suited her personality and her style of photography. The process took a little longer than usual, probably because there was no urgent deadline and we enjoyed bantering back and forth via email a few times.

I am happy to say we are both really pleased with the end result. Its not often I get to produce something that is just ‘pretty’ and I got the chance with this project. The minimal use of colour (black + pure cyan) will mean this suite of collateral will be really affordable to produce over and over again, as will any additional material she chooses to develop over time.

so without more ado – here it is…

 .

Posted by Netra on Feb 3rd 2010 | corporate - design - graphic design - marketing
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Following on from the success of last year’s small business package, I’ve decided to offer a tiered range of packages to suit a broader spectrum of small business clients. This will enable more small businesses to take advantage of our packaged design solutions in a way that minimises the financial impact by spready the cost out over a number of months. Some conditions apply – please email netrac@optusnet.com.au for full Terms and Condiditons.

I am very pleased to be able to offer the following options:

Kick-Start package – $950
ideal for new businesses

• Logo development
• Business card design
• Email footer

+ add on a single blog/webpage interface design for $300

 
Gear-up package – $1450
ideal for businesses who want to develop promotional material and kick off a marketing plan

• Postcard/Flyer design
• Tri fold brochure design (DL or square)
• E-newsletter template

+ enquire about print management to lighten your workload

 
Accelerate package – $1950
ideal for the more established business, moving into an office or studio space or looking to push their promotional activity and brand awareness

• Document Style template – 8 custom branded page layouts to create your own documents
• Up to 4 x magazine/newspaper adverts (as required over 12 months)
• Pull-up banner design – transportable signage ideal for trade displays or stalls
• Signage (interior or exterior; office or studio)

+ add on design consulting hours to get advice with your brand identity and implementation

Payment Options

Pay over 4 monthly installments – 25% deposit, 25% per month for the next 3 months

Pay for your package upfront and get 10% off your package price.

  Please note: All design options on this page are available as stand-alone design solutions. Please email netrac@optusnet.com.au for more information or to build a custom package.

 **Conditions Apply: Offer is for small to medium businesses with 5 or less employees, in operation for no more than 3 years. Limited packages on offer each calendar month, Timelines to be negotiated on a case by case basis. For full Terms and Conditions, please email netrac@optusnet.com.au.

Posted by Netra on Jan 11th 2010 | brochure - card - corporate - design - flyer - graphic design - marketing
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I was contacted right before Christmas to do a rush job for Tracy Whittaker who runs Fashion Artiste - a new online clothing store for women. As she was in pre-launch stage, she was still waiting for shipments of clothing, so we were unable to use photos of the clothes or models. It was a real challenge trying to come up with a workable solution!

After much deliberation, I decided to use the idea of a runway reveal, with the models as silhouettes. They are posed as though the lights are about to come on and reveal the clothing in a dramatic instant. We were lucky that it worked well for her brand, and colours and where her business was poised.

Congrats Tracy – I hope it all takes off for you!

Posted by Netra on Jan 6th 2010 | adult - corporate - design - graphic design - marketing
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Renee Bell from NFE Design contacted me a few months ago asking for a revamp of her existing look and feel. Renee’s work has an edgy urban quality to it and this is something she wanted to keep in her branding.  We initially thought we may just refine her existing logo, but I threw a few extra ideas (in terms of logos and potential layout options) in the mix and the logo evolved from there. We were slow to start, but once we had ideas on paper, the project gathered so much momentum we blitzed it in the end.

The final file handover was just before Christmas, and Renee has worked incredibly hard applying the logo to all her marketing material and to get everything up and running by the start of the new year. Congrats on a phenomenal effort Renee!

Posted by Netra on Jan 3rd 2010 | corporate - design - graphic design - marketing - photography
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