09/25/2020
I have an announcement! Erin O'Malley Design is now Peers and Friends! What does this all mean?? Check out all three posts to learn more as I give a series of Q+A's.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Q - How long has PEERS + FRIENDS been in the works?
A - Graphic Designers know how hard it is to work on their own branding and marketing and creating a brand from scratch is no exception. So it’s been 2 years, a lot of patience, persistence, and quite frankly, doing everything the same and following the same steps I would for a client of mine: discovery, research, sketching, creative direction, conceptualization, etc! I secured my url (peersandfriends.com) first and went from there.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Q - What does PEERS + FRIENDS even mean?
A - Friends are like the air I breathe, and oftentimes, your peers and friends help you get where you are. They help you through your worst times, makers of your best times, and they can help you make important connections in life. Part of the Peers + Friends philosophy is relying on creative and otherwise professional peers and friends to build the teams necessary to tackle any size creative project. Also, the word 'peers' represents the more formal, professional, and even sophisticated side of the brand while the word 'friends', naturally, represents the fun! It should also be noted that many clients are elevated to friend status.
Q - Explain the choices for the brand colors.
A - Just like ‘peers’ represents one thing and ‘friends’ the other, I chose those colors - specifically the darker, forest green - as a slight update to my old brand and to add a touch of sophistication and seriousness to the brand. But not too serious - please! I’m growing up and so is my brand. I would like potential clients to see the brand and immediately sense what I am all about and what they can expect. A fun, creative process, but also designs that they can be proud of and that are the result of 17 years in the creative and marketing field.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Q - What are the uses of each logo shown above?
A - I started working on the continual line 'PF' icon (1) and thought, “this is it!” But after trying to pair the icon with type, I didn't think it truly conveyed what I wanted my brand to be about. The slick lines and the square shape were still a little formal or cold in my opinion and I decided to use that in places where I need an icon to stand by itself, like the avatar for my social media platforms or for very small uses, in footers of things, etc. The type-only, stacked, 'peers and friends' logo (2) was another concept that came out of my sketching and conceptualizing but I just couldn't find the right typefaces to use. It wasn't until after I finalized the icon design that I stumbled on this typeface with its unique ligatures that this other version of the logo was born. They both work beautifully in one color and reversed out in white against green.
Q - Why a rebrand?
A - I threw myself into the freelance world with no real game plan but to survive and be sustainable. I just chose to use my name and do what freelancers do and gain recognition as 'Erin O'Malley'. Over the last three years, my name as my brand just hasn't felt right - and it’s my name! It doesn't do the job of explaining all that I do/can do and it isn’t very versatile. Why not rebrand to be the best my little business can be? It turns out, when you rebrand your business into something you are really excited about and turn it into a separate entity from yourself, it makes it a lot easier to work on - like you're working on an actual client's branding. Owning a small business allows you to reinvent yourself or introduce new revenue streams quite easily and the name Peers + Friends keeps things generic enough for that.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Q - Is this even a good time to rebrand?
A - During this pandemic and times of chaos and uncertainty, consumers are looking for 'comfort brands' and an upset of a rebrand might turn them off. What could be more comforting than your peers and friends ‘bubble’ during this? The time has come for me to rebrand and I’m eager to see what it is on the other side. I have been planning this for the last two years and in life, if you wait for the 'right time' to do something, that time may never come. I hope I have the good faith of my clients, friends, and family to support this update and I promise no interruption of the services and quality they have some to expect from me.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Q - What are the goals/future of Peers + Friends?
A - This rebrand/renaming allows me to reposition myself to target certain projects and allow me to be more nimble and expand to a wider variety of creative outlets and income streams. Be on the lookout for a new website in 2020 as well - something that can better showcase my holistic approach to branding and design.
