design Archives - Mollyann Explores It All

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Black and White Logo | Intentional Design

April 19, 2020May 5, 2020by Mollyann Russell1 Comment

There are many resources out there that help you determine your brand colors and we can study color theory all day. For me, I am drawn to bright and colorful book covers and white and gray modern interiors so how the heck did I land on a black and white logo?

From my experience in marketing, printing in black and white is ALWAYS cheaper than printing in color. Often, printers will charge per color. Even if you have a colorful logo, I recommend making sure that it also looks good in black and white for possible printing purposes.
This also goes the other way – when needed, you can easily transition your logo to color. It’s so flexible.
It is timeless. Even if your color preferences change or your brand evolves, your black and white logo will be able to evolve with it.
It is legible. Growing up, I remember making my powerpoints colorful and then later I learned that white and black is ideal for presentations as it is the easiest for your audience to read. This has always stuck with me. You can’t beat the contrast between the two colors.
It is so fresh and so clean, clean.
It is simple. Enough said.

Here’s the ultimate reason why: A black and white logo is the classic way to make your brand relatable, accessible, and versatile. – Aviva M. Cantor from her blog post, 25 black and white logos that are anything but boring

Speaking of versatility, you will need several versions of your logo depending on its use. When tagging your graphics or photos, it is good to have both an all white and all black version of your logo with transparent backgrounds. The black version would be used on a light image and the white version would be used on a dark image for visibility.

You can also create transparent background versions of your logo with just your graphic image and just the text as well.

I have many more different versions of my logo. Horizontal and square, just the image, and versions with the image + text. I also have them where the colors are swapped – black logo on a white background and a white logo on a black background. I decided to create all of these from the get go so that I am ready whenever I need to use each version. It was really easy to DIY on Canva!

Color is just one of the many factors to consider behind a successful logo design. Here is my blog post about the graphic image on a logo.

Next up, logo typography!

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Unpacking the Backpack | Intentional Logo Design

April 18, 2020May 5, 2020by Mollyann Russell2 Comments

Created on Canva

I stand by intentional design and that is no different than when I created my logo from scratch. Let’s focus on the graphic image. So why the backpack?

Let me tell you!

When thinking about “exploring” I envisioned the usual; planes, suitcases, the world, a globe, a passport, a You Are Here symbol… Then my brainstorming took off – what about a plane circling the globe or what about a paper airplane? – that’s a cool take on it! There is nothing wrong with these options but none of them felt like me and I have seen them used in regards to travel blogs and companies before. But, brainstorming is all a part of the process and is an important part of landing on where you want to be!

Then I thought that there must be something else then it hit me – a backpack! That’s ME! It has meaning to me. Lightbulb moment 💡

Here is my why:

Story time! We drove my husband’s car until the engine went kaput and the cost to fix it was going to be more than the car was worth. Yep, totally totalled. We ended up taking it to the junkyard and I’m not sure if we even broke $100 for turning it in. A few weeks later, we got into an accident where my car flipped and was declared totaled. Yep, totally totalled AGAIN. We went from having 2 working cars to having 0 just like that. Fortunately, we lived within walking distance from my job and my husband was able to borrow a car to get to work until we could buy another car. However, this all happened in July and North Carolina has HOT summers so I would show up a hot sweaty mess to work. Lucky for me, this was the summer that Bird electric scooters appeared in downtown Raleigh so I started commuting on those. Riding with my tote bag slung over my shoulder was not ideal (if you have ridden an electric scooter, you know what I’m talking about!) so getting a backpack was the perfect solution! I fell in love with the Little America Mid Volume Backpack from Herschel. I would shove my laptop, water bottle, lunch, etc in it and be good to go. I loved that it freed up my arms and hands and I always had everything that I needed. That backpack entered my life during a rough patch and made it better.

When my husband and I travel, our backpacks are must haves. They carry our necessities and fit under the seat on airplanes. When we hike or explore new cities, we often pack a backpack and bring it along for the day. We often bring a raincoat or jacket to prepare for weather changes and a water bottle so that we stay hydrated. Some additional must haves are hand sanitizer, chapstick, and a cell phone charger.

Photo by Megan Gallagher Photography

When I think of backpacks, I think of students who are ready to grow and learn – continuing to grow and learn is one of my passions!
I’m just starting out so this logo was a DIY and the backpack was a free element on Canva 😝 Canva is an amazing online tool for your graphic design and visual content needs and they have several free templates to choose from. It is 100% user friendly and I highly recommend it! Did I mention that the basic package is free 99?

The backpack is not something that I forced but when it clicked, it definitely clicked! What is your why behind your logo design choices? Does it mean something to you and does it clearly communicate your message? Most importantly – does it tell your story? Several years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Annie from Greatest Story Collective speak about how important sharing your story is to your branding. She also shared a huge no no. She explained that if your business is one thing, you should not have an image on your logo that does not align with what your business does to avoid confusion. For example, while working in the event industry, I had a business card from a cake baker who had a photo of flowers on her business card. At first glance, you would think that she was a florist. Your imagery has to be relevant to your business to avoid confusion and to clearly communicate your message.

Once you have landed on an image that tells your story and means something to you, I would bring your intention to the design of that particular image as well. Is it simple and scalable? In a style that shows your personality?

Now that my backpack has been unpacked – is there a logo for a business, blog, product, etc that you want to create? Or would you like to update your logo to best tell your story?

Some logos do not have an image at all. They are just color and typography. Wondering why I just chose white and black or why I chose this particular typography? Stay tuned, those blog posts are coming next.

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Why is Mollyann “exploring it all” and why should we care? | Blog Introduction

Featuredby Mollyann RussellLeave a Comment

That’s what you are all thinking, right?

Truth be told, this website and blog are WAY overdue.

Why “exploring it all’? I am an overthinker, love to analyze and strategize (confirmed by Strengths Finder 2.0!), and a recovering perfectionist. In other words – I like to explore it all before making a decision or a plan, but that does not stop me from finally making a decision and planning something awesome. Since I am hardwired to doing all of this homework, let me explore it all and bring the final results to you to save you from having to do the same.

I never struggled with the fact that I wanted to write a blog, I just struggled with what the blog should be about. Why would someone read it? What would set my blog apart from others?

In the midst of this struggle, I started reading Marie Forleo‘s book, Everything is Figureoutable. Along with the title of the book, I picked up a few new mantras to live by:

Progress, Not Perfection

Start Before You Are Ready

I also learned that it was ok to be multi passionate and to write about several topics. I just needed to start where I was. Put pen to paper, put fingers to keyboard, and just do the damn thing! Thank you Marie for lighting a fire under me 🔥

I was worried and focused on the wrong things that I think a lot of others get caught up with as well. I wanted to be a pro graphic designer and web editor so that my blog looked a certain way. I wanted to be using the right Instagram filters for consistency on my feed. No bueno! I do love a good design but content has been flowing out of me and I did not have an outlet to properly share. The content is what it is all about folks! Just start!

What will my content be about? Here is the breakdown:

Creative Lifestyle – I love to be creative. I feel the most energized when I am creating something. I also create original ideas for how my husband and I live our best married life. Rather than to be influenced by what other people are doing, I implore you to live a creative lifestyle and make your relationships, behaviors, and choices your own. I have a few blog posts up my sleeve about some things that have worked for my husband and I.
Travel + Experiences – When my husband and I reminisce about our favorite memories and experiences together, it often involves our travels. This was a huge motivator for the blog. I often feel the happiest and fullest when I am exploring new cities and countries. I have been to 5 out of 7 continents (Africa and Antarctica are the ones MIA). Our upcoming big move to Australia is also a major factor in wanting to create this space so that I can share our adventures.
Intentional Design – Oh man, I like a good design. But I LOVE an intentional design – not just throwing things together because it looks good and it’ll get likes on the ‘gram. What is the purpose behind the design? The message? Is it functional? I want to know the WHY behind the design. I have worked on designs for marketing, spaces, events, and have plans to continue expanding my design journey and I want to share that journey with you.
Personal Growth + Fitness – I am a self declared personal growth junkie. I want to wake up each day being a better version of myself than the day before in both my mind and body. Having the right mindset and moving your body are huge contributors. I often say that you have to take care of yourself before you can take of others.

I am excited to evolve, learn, and grow with YOU through this content! Interacting with YOU is what drives me to share my tips and tricks.

Love, recommendations, and feedback are always welcome below 👇