I recently finished working on a logo for a make-up and hair-styling business. Rosalyn Manuel, the proprietor and stylist in question, found me through a mutual friend. She wanted to create a mark that would best represent here particular take on beauty and make-up. As with such things, we’ve been working on and off on the project for months, because other things often come in the way and priorities shift, but we did get back to it eventually and thus Vanity Rose was born in full.
The name was Rosalyn’s first choice for christening her business. While some other alternatives were considered in the early stages, this is the one she felt the most strongly about. Initial sketches and explorations steered me toward using the rose symbology in the final mark, although I made many valiant attempts at finding completely typographic or non-rosy solutions. The more eclectic visual solutions I tried just did not fit the visual mood of a small bespoke styling business.
Logos need to not just be distinct and unique, but also on some level indicate to the ultimate customer what they are about and what they represent. Straying completely from expected norms should be done only with a distinct marketing or branding plan in mind. As a beautician, if you do decide on a logo that looks like an industrial company, for example, there better be a good and well thought-out reasoning behind the choice, and an even better considered plan for how that choice will be communicated to your paying customer.
My initial proposal for a Vanity Rose mark was a fairly sophisticated and minimal logo, but also slightly sombre. Rosalyn brought in some of her own thoughts and ideas about her business and how she saw it into the mix, and this more playful interpretation was born. I’m happy with the result, and most importantly, the person it will come to represent loves it. It’s a decent balance between ornament and practical considerations, it looks distinct and also works well in small sizes, so I shall call it done.
Samir
