Cheers, Creative Enthusiasts,
On this fateful day of September 11th fourteen years ago, first responders descended on the World Trade Center in NY exhibiting extreme acts of bravery and valiant rescue efforts to help those who found themselves in the midst of a terrible tragedy. In honor of the memory of the fallen and with much gratitude to the firefighters and other first responders, today I would like to introduce a wonderful and important project that I have had the privilege to work on recently, The Heropreneur Project by my good friend and colleague, DG Gregory.
In short, The Heropreneur Project helps firefighters, veterans and police officers start an online business so they don't have to struggle financially just because they chose a life of service. DG is on a mission to show these potential “Heropreneurs” the unlimited possibilities that exist for them to start a successful online business in their spare time.
The project was created to provide the hard working men and women of these noble professions with an alternative to;
• unfulfilling, low wage side-jobs,
• disruptive career changes
• capital intensive “brick and mortar” small businesses
The Heropreneur Project is a platform and a community where members learn from successful online entrepreneurs as well as connect with mentors and other “Heropreneurs”. They also have access to an extensive catalog of courses, lessons, and resources to help them launch their own online business. Learn more about the Heropreneur Project and sign up for the free newsletter at Heropreneurproject.com (website in progress).
The final colorized logo showcasing the tagline that we collaborated on: Helping Veterans & First Responders Build an Online Business. The logo is meant to look badge-like as well as reminiscent of a medal, borrowing elements from the firefighters logo. I also made sure to focus on the “hero” aspect with the use of a bird in flight, and added a rope accent to suggest “first responder.” The chosen colors coordinate with DG’s Second Half Comeback brand and podcast, which is his umbrella brand.
When DG first came to me requesting help with branding and a logo, I was thrilled to help. Both of our fathers honored our country by serving in the Korean War among other endeavors. I jumped at the chance to offer my talents in support of this noble project.
I thought today I would take you down the path with me of how I approach a new logo project.
I have heard over the past year many entrepreneurs use the words “it’s just a logo – I need something fast, simple and cheap”. I have been professionally trained in graphic design, as many other talented artists have and have enjoyed 25 years in this fantastic and rewarding career. So to me, it is never “just a logo”. It is a representation of the mission, the values and the spirit of the project, and will set the tone for the entire brand moving forward. A good logo speaks a thousand words, just like a picture can. I do my best to put much thought and research into the job, as well as my heart and soul. I partly started my own boutique graphic design firm to work on projects that I truly believe in for amazing and inspiring people, like DG Gregory who is a firefighter (and long-time entrepreneur) himself. When I hire other professionals, I hope that they put that kind of heart and soul in their work as well. I value that.
This image is a sneak peek at my sketch pad during the brainstorming and experimental phase of the logo creation. Several of these marks were later taken to the computer to be executed in Adobe Illustrator.
I always start the process with an in-depth interview, which then helps me craft a thorough Creative Brief where I outline the marketing strategies, target audience, any competitive research and analysis, as well as graphic preferences and requirements by the client. This provides me with a guide to help me really hit the ground running before I even put pencil to paper. Next, comes the brainstorming and sketching process. I will experiment with the wording, the tagline, icons, graphics with the end goal in mind on a large sketch pad for as many hours as it takes. Once I am satisfied that I have some ideas worth executing, I take my favorite and most workable ideas to the computer, often scanning sketches that I will later trace or use as a guide in Adobe Illustrator. I always work in black and white first, only adding color after I am satisfied with the initial logo layouts and configurations. I am “old school” in the sense that I believe if a logo does not “work” as a cohesive unit in black and white, it will never look better once color is added. Gotta start with the basics first to lay the proper foundation! Lastly, I will put together a presentation for my client summarizing the stated mission, our collective goal, show any relevant and related graphics, and then present my logo options. I gave DG several options on a limited timeframe, and he was thrilled with the final results – and off to the races we go! Thank you, DG for the opportunity to assist you make this project a success! You and your mission are awesome!
Can I help create your promotional materials for your important, world changing mission or business, or help you with your new website launch, branding, T-shirt or invitation design? I invite you to contact me so that I can offer a free consultation and price quote for any of your design needs. Have an awesome week and happy creating!
To your creative endeavors!
Onward and upward.
Cathy Broadwell
Giant Leaps Creative LLC