My big rebrand!

Who are we and why did we need a rebrand?

A brief history of the company and how we got here:

In 2022, while working at an architecture visualization company in Boston with my friend, Sarah, we felt the need for a creative outlet beyond our office-based 8:30-5:30 schedule. Post-pandemic, our priorities had shifted, prompting discussions during our 1.5-hour-long commutes to and from work, about starting our own hypothetical business.

Our brainstorming sessions resulted in an extensive list of services, reflecting the many disciplines we had been trained in. We wanted to offer every single one of them. As these conversations continued, they became more serious, leading us to file for an LLC in February 2023.

Our initial website showcased an even mix of our skills but lacked focus and consistent branding. Over time, Sarah's reduced involvement led to me taking over the company. Upon revisiting the site with a fresh perspective, I recognized the need to refine our offerings, and redefine our company's identity in her absence.

Time for a rebrand!

After inviting my friend Yelena to join us as our social media manager, she told me she was having trouble figuring out how to market a company that had no clear direction, and asked me my elevator pitch. Our offerings were so vast and convoluted that I stumbled over my words and defaulted to a vague description like "oh, I make stuff and I have a store and stickers." It was a terrible pitch!

So, I decided to tackle the question head-on. I grabbed a notebook and started jotting down ideas. In just 30 minutes, I filled 7 pages with notes, lists, flow charts, doodles, and newsletter ideas. As I organized our offerings into categories, I found myself referring to them as my "Five Pillars," but that didn't quite resonate. Then it hit me - not five pillars... Five Planets! After all, we are the Artful Astronaut!

I brought our concept to life by creating an actual astronaut to explore these planets. Given my deep interest in moon missions, her name was obvious to me: Artemis, or Artie for short.

Lets take a look

The five planets represent the five main categories of the things that the Artful Astronaut offers. Our branding has four main colors: orange, light blue, dark blue, and purple. I used these colors as the basis for planets, and combined them for the more painterly fifth planet.

A little Easter Egg, the middle planet is a ringed planet, the only one in my system, representing Design. This category includes logo design. The Artful Astronaut Logo is a ringed planet with a paintbrush as part of the ring.

My favorite part of this rebrand, is Artie hanging out at the different planets. The goal for this is to use the image of her at the different planets on the materials that pertain to that discipline. The best use of this so far has been the top of each of the pages of this website. You can see Artie visiting each planet as she travels though the universe to see all the things that I can do!