Finished Work: Knapsnoet - Logo Design & Branding

As a kid, I always picked the butterfly. I loved having my face painted. You can imagine how I enjoyed those colorful illustrations on my face! As I later turned out to be illustrating myself, I was excited to start this new branding project. Creating a visual ‘face’ for Snapsnoet. (translated: Pretty Face)

Knapsnoet was created by Mandy. Her passion in life has always been makeup. And she decided to turn her hobby into a business this year. With workshops for women who want to get skilled. And you can also hire her for theater grime, birthday parties. belly paint and business workshops.

Mandy wanted to create something she could see herself in. She had a clear understanding of what she wanted to say. Her brand should reflect her feminine self, soft and joyful. But her branding also needed show professionalism, she wanted it to reflect her skills and also attract other professionals, not only moms throwing Disney themed birthday parties. Nothing too cutesy. But cute enough. Something catchy. But also detailed. Creating a branding is about converting these contrasts into a coherent balance. Find that unique tone that makes a brand professional & personal. A lovely design problem to solve.

For her logo, we decided to create something neutral with a soft pink base. A minimalist catchy smiley is incorporated, reflecting the face painting, and a swoosh in the background as a shape to tie both the visual and typography together.

For her branding we also created some graphic designs. Flyers, business cards and for those we created a series of abstract painted illustrations. With all this, we set the base for future branding. With these designs, she can tell her story and attract her ideal clients. What do you think about this project?

Need a logo for your business too?
A logo is a visual symbol or graphic that represents a brand. It is the first point of contact between a business and its audience and serves as the foundation for the overall brand identity. If you are also looking for a logo designer who can create a strong visual identity? Reach out and send us a message. Let's get to know each other!

Finished Work: Mels-Vida - Logo Design for a Hair Salon

We love going back to our roots and get our teeth into a branding project. Melanie has been a hair stylist for almost 20 years and this year she opened her own salon. And we got to dig in and create a new identity for her business. A well-crafted logo and cohesive branding can significantly impact the success of a business. It builds brand recognition, and creates a sense of trust.

Logo design and branding are crucial elements of a business’s identity. They go hand in hand to create a cohesive, recognizable presence in the market and communicate the values, mission, and personality of a company. We created a brand new logo for her business and created various graphic designs. The inspiration for her logo came from her two biggest passions in life: travel & hair. We wanted to make a cute and inviting visual, complementing her radiant character. Fun, playful, and creative. We also created a surface pattern for her give-aways & business related product line.

Need a logo for your business too?
A logo is a visual symbol or graphic that represents a brand. It is the first point of contact between a business and its audience and serves as the foundation for the overall brand identity. If you are also looking for a logo designer who can create a strong visual identity? Reach out and send us a message. Let's get to know each other!

Finished work: Days of Gold - Day Care in the Woods - Logo Design

Rainbows & Sprinkles has been one of our long term clients. We created hundreds of prints for Lucy’s sportswear brand. Last year we created a logo for her basic line of sports pieces before she decided to change course and sell her business. While creating designs we discussed our mutual love for animals and her biggest dream was to be surrounded by animals all day. In the summer of 2023 she found a large plot of land with stables, horses, right up the hills and surrounded with woods. She decided to change everything and start a Day Care. A place to grow up and play surrounded by nature and animals. 

We were so sad to see her leave Rainbows and Sprinkles, but she’s such an inspiration. She turned her life around and has worked on opening up her day care for months. For her new business we created a brand new logo design reflecting the surroundings of her new Nature day care: Days of Gold. We created some really crisp clean cut designs, freehand logo’s and some designs with badges reminding us of the scouts. Did you join them when you were a kid?

As a kid I grew up in the country side with lots of space to play. Take care of animals, build bridges over streams and little huts. So this logo was a fun piece to create. Something I could personally relate to. Here we’ll explain the logo designing process, so you can have a little insight on how we work. In case you need something for your branding swell.

Step 1: The Business Before we start we want to know everything about the business. Is it already ‘out there’ as an established brand? What are the core values. Some insight about the philosophy is key to create something that really connects. A logo should reflect your brand in a flash. What makes you different than others in your branch. We ask all the questions before even making a quote. For Days of Gold it was a smooth process since we know Lucy personally. This step was quickly taken. But most people we create logo’s for need some time figuring this out first. And we are happy to guide and assist when you still need to find out your business identity. It’s all part of the branding.

Step 2: Who’s your customer For Days of Gold we knew it would not be attracting the usual parent. Playing outside in the mud all day is a little different than your usual day care. Knowing your customer is really important. You have to understand what it is they’re looking for and what connects them to your brand.

Step 3: The Quote We have several packages for logo design and branding. Some of our customers just look for a catchy visual that sticks. Some want the whole shebang with a website and all the graphic elements attached to branding. This particular job was reduced to a logo design only to start with.

Step 4: The Design process When we have a clear agreement and laid down the basics above we start the design process. Usually this starts with a brainstorm and a free sketch routine in which shapes, notes and illustrations are put down on paper. For some designs we create everything by hand on paper. So did we for the first drafts. From there we translate those sketched onto the computed and create new vector sketches in Adorable Illustrator. For every logo design process we create a minimum of 3 design options, and branding directions, to choose from.

Step 5: The first presentation In our first presentation we put all sketches we made and create a story on how the design was developed. And how it involved during the process. Resulting into three proposals that are ready to use. We create some mock-ups and color versions for each proposal and explain why we made certain design decisions. Because it’s not all drawing. A logo design has an entire philosophy attached that will lift up your business. And normally you can’t see that in a blink. So we create a little guidance so a design makes sense for everyone.

Step 6: An hour of tweaks In our pricing we include an hour of changes after the first presentation. Usually it only takes some small tweaks. For Lucy, it was almost an immediate go on the first draft. She chose the circular logo. Easy to use as a badge on clothing and versatile. the premises also has a glamping on it, so with this shape we could also expand to logo versions per business. For this project we didn’t even need that extra hours but for some projects we need some more time to tweak and adjust.

Step 7: Payment In case you haven’t worked with us before. We never send out any finished artwork before we get paid. After we receive our payment in full we wrap things up.

Step 8: Finishing Up The last step is creating files that are workable for our clients. We have clients that need different types of files and versions. We all include those. Logo files for web. Logo files in high resolution for print. And Pantone colors. If you work on an entire branding project with us this is the moment we can go further and talk website & graphic items.

Need a logo for your new start-up or project? Or does your business need a re-vamp? We would love to take on your branding. Check our website for more info & rates. You can contact us there directly by filling out the contact form.

Let's celebrate purple / 5 reasons why we all adore this color of power, independence and ambition

Colors have a strong but also subconscious effect on our everyday lives. During my design studies, studying color was our most demanding and time consuming subject. As a visual artist I was taught how to influence and effect others with my use of the color spectrum. After covering yellow, pink and blue, let's talk about the color purple.

1 // Lilac and history
The color purple used to be a royal color. Due to the rare occurrence of indigo and purple in nature, dying with this paint was very expensive and for a long time, the color purple was to be considered the color of luxury. Purple was sacred. So back in the day, royalty were one of the few people that could afford this color in fashion and home decor. Did you ever visit one of those European Palaces? If you look at the decoration, wallpaper, carpets, portraits on the wall, purple is always there. And because of the psychological effect, it is a not too obvious choice for decorating, but back in the day it was all about showing off your wealth. And up until today it is still associated with value and money.

2 // I love purple personality
The color purple is a combination of a calm blue and an energetic red. A mix of two that is associated with power and ambition but also extravagance (due to it’s historic use), creativity, pride, mystery and magic. If you adore this color you probably have a little bit of a curiosity toward spirituality. You are calm, balanced but also energetic and passionate. With a hint of extravagance, individualism and independence. You like to be a little different from anyone else, a little unconventional. A soft lilac and lavender represents beauty, delicacy and femininity. Also the color of adolescence. But most of all, if you favor this color, you are compassionate and kind, you love to take care of others and don’t ask for much in return. Well, you are welcome!



3 // Purple and branding
Understanding the basics of color is very important within a design process. Color can trigger a reaction, mood, calm us down, fuel us with energy. My design studies contained years of studying color. All hues and shades. Purple is a very interesting one, it has both warm and cold ‘effects.’ Due to this mix the color can cause unrest and discomfort. it can effect your mood in a negative way. The color is not very popular in branding but it does have a few characteristics that might be interesting, making purple a pretty good option for your logo. Due to this warm and cool mix, purple is a good communicative color. Calming nerves, it is uplifting and supports creativity. It is a gender neutral pick and the color is still associated with wealth and value. Therefore the color is great for general targets; young and old, male or female. And an interesting pick for corporate identities that represent both serious business ethics and creativity. If you want your branding identity to represent luxury and quality, this is a great pick.

4 // A little moody
You might remember those wizards from childhood, wearing purple. This color is associated with spirituality and painting your room in a lilac, violet or lavender will increase creativity; it stimulates the imagination. Purple is the color of magic. But too much exposure to purple can also lead to depression. So if you have a tendency to pick up energy easily, stay away from this color. Be careful decorating your home with this color. You don’t want to get moody in the bedroom right?

5 // Lilac and trend
Purple is a color that is constantly clashing. Warm and cold, calming and energizing. Therefore a middle purple is a tough color on the market. When purple enters the trend waves it usually is in a warm or a cold hue. All natural colors are in fact pretty popular at the moment. Soft and delicate lilac and violet. Purple flowers and veggies are very hot in the food industry right now. An interesting trend to follow and a fun way to make your plate a little more special.

> Carpet design | new business | new logo

by Maaike Boot

Together with Sjoerd Knops, carpet designer and chief of the new Carpet Design company i sat down and worked on this little smilemaker piece of work. Finished for press and ready to be all cute, all businesscard, all paper tomorrow. The first step to a new exclusive luxury brand. Next step: website!