Brookline Street Studio is now Birch Paper and Home!

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Snowed in? Try something new!



Nope.  I won't be lying in the warm sun anytime soon.  In fact, another 16 inches of snow has fallen since I took this photo.  And right now a new storm is moving in that promises to drop 12 or more inches of fluff on top!  It's beautiful, but enough is enough!

To make the most of my time indoors, I decided to join Skillshare, an online learning center for creative souls.  Two classes got me hooked:  Crafting a Brand Identity and Basics of Photoshop.  Both were short, chock full of great tips and tricks, and fun! Each course includes a participant project component.  You get feedback from other students and get to follow what your classmates create!  What did I create?  Well, first, here is a moodboard created in Photoshop:



I've always wondered how designers create those amazing moodboards I see all over Pinterest!  This was a perfect project for my Photoshop class, because one of the first things I needed to do in "Crafting a Brand Identity" was to create a moodboard for my brand!  Done!

Next, I learned to combine color, typography and graphics into a logo and packaging suite that expresses my brand perfectly!  I started with the fantastic birch branch logo that my step-daughter, Jessica Graham, designed for me.  I pulled colors from the moodboard and played with some new fonts.  Here is the result:


What do you think?  Clockwise, from top left:  hang tags, business card front and back, post card, and labels.  I am especially fond of the hang tags!

So if you find yourself stuck inside because the snow is piled up past your windows, why not try taking a class on Skillshare?  It's a fun and inexpensive way to learn a new skill.

Have a happy day!

Michelle