A couple of months ago I put out a call, via Facebook, for assistance with creating a logo for ChevsLife.

Nicole Bredeveldt responded with great enthusiasm and I really wondered if she knew what she was getting herself into! We are talking about a design that will represent me, the individual behind this blog of personal enlightenment, fictional stories with my tandem blogging partners and some really emotional life experiences.

Nicole read my lengthy emails and whattsapp chats. She read between the lines of the “energy” the image needed to exude! I mean really now, how suggestive can one get when you talking logo design that is interpreted in a flurry of words that now needed to conjure up the ultimate image?!

An avid reader of my parenting posts, she confidently she stepped up to the plate and started working on the ideas, often sending designs through just after midnight, long after I’ve gone to bed, with me responding and giving input at 5am. Reading my critique and suggestions, not advisable if you are overly precious about your work.

A true professional, she took everything in and pushed back with exceptional results! And just when she thought that was it, I reverted with font size changes and some “stitching” up that needed to be done. The more she presented, the more I loved it and the more I realised that she had the creativity to see the branding through to its fullest potential!

The tagline, “Living and Parenting with Intent, Unmasking the Journey to Optimism”, was inspired one sunny Saturday afternoon, while studying and making notes in my textbook about my blog! Yes, it crept in everywhere!

I am very fortunate to work with an incredible professional who understands that my criticism of her work is not a reflection on her inability to work according to the brief, BUT a reflection of her ABILITY to present work that inspires me to see the immense potential and push her to exceed my expectations and present an end design that captured the logo that my words could not quite articulate.

Nicole and I will continue to work on re-branding ChevsLife. The next step is to look at the website design. But for now, I share with you the many stages we worked through.

If you are looking for a designer to work with then I highly recommend Nicole, she is open to criticism and suggestions, she is skilled in ways that I can only wish to be! Her professional approach to after hour design work that fits in with my schedule and dedication is refreshing. You can contact me at chevone@chevslife.com  should you wish to partner with Nicole on some design work. You can also read my blog post, Stoked in Silence, to learn more about this young professional.

First she merged the two photographs I had, the idea behind this logo.

Then I asked her to look at changing the tyre to a border that represented the ocean element and she presented me with a few options . . .

Then she took the leap and presented me with some SKETCHES!! I had lots of comments . . . but loved where this was going 🙂

Next, we started looking at colors and fonts . . .

I then asked her to add my ocean background. We played around with the text and I had more feedback on the more detailed elements.

She persevered and took in all the comments, suggestions and questions. Finally the end result is here! A blog logo that I am in love with, an image that hopefully sets the tone of unmasking my journey to optimism.

This blog, like me, is a continuous work in progress. Your comments are welcome and I look forward to sharing this journey with you.