WellNest

Hello friends!
It's been a minute. But hi!

   I've been neglecting to post onto the blog because I've been knee-deep in work and in my freelance design. I'm super excited to be busy lately, but it definitely gets a little tricky to balance my time. It's just something I'll have to learn how to do as I get busier.

   So lately, with all these freelance projects, I've been asked pretty frequently what I'd want to do most with my design degree. And, as I'm slowly getting my online portfolio organized, I'd love to show you guys what my favorite project was in college and how it'd theoretically be my dream job.

   So, friends, today I'd like to show you my WellNest standards manual. WellNest is a fictitious brand I designed for my visual communications portfolio. For how much design work I do behind the scenes, and for the fact that I have a degree in design, I feel like I need to talk about it more on G&N. Especially because this project was my favorite to complete, and it demonstrates exactly what I'd love to do as a job.

   For this assignment, we had to create a business and brand it from nothingness. A lot of research and time went into our standards manuals--an entire semester, to be exact. So the concept I ran with was the idea for a cafe that was knowledgeable on mental health struggles and could help inspire and spread awareness about it. So my standards manual breaks down all the branding choices I made, and I'm super excited to show it to you guys.

   So many details went into this. We had to build our companies from the ground up, although I definitely already had a vision. So obviously, we had to first find the mission of our business. I wanted mine to be a place that I'd genuinely want to visit. I wanted it to be a home away from home. A little nest, if you will. Something that celebrated wellness and being human.

   After establishing our company objectives, we began unfolding our visions. I envisioned  a clean environment with natural light and different color schemes that varied by room. I also wanted to enhance the space by incorporating the biophilia effect--using plant and nature associations to boost mood. So with that, and the idea of a rustic and clean decorative style, I went to work creating a brand board. I used free stock images to compile my dream cafe, and I love the way it turned out. I also utilized patterns to show what colors and textures I'd love to incorporate.

   Finding this typeface was a huge win for me. Avenir Next is so clean and simple, but nothing boring. This font is neat and makes me feel so giddy. So I knew instantly that this is what I'd want to brand my business with.

   As a tag line, I used something my cousin Sonny says a lot. "You're worth it." It's simple, but pushes optimism and wellness so greatly. WellNest, You're Worth It. I also sketched a bird as my character. The sketchy style makes it look more personable, while the bird itself goes hand in hand with the nest in WellNest. It's all coming together now.

   For my brand's color palettes, I decided to make three. One was a warmer toned color group for the more therapeutic mood, one was a cleaner and brighter color group for a revitalizing feeling, and one was a combination of both of them to convey everything WellNest stands for. I also named each Pantone color based on the feeling they evoked.

   I also demonstrated how my logo was used correctly, including the tag line, emblem, and bird character. They all support each other to create one cute and personable business.

   We also made ephemeral items for our businesses. This included designing branded uniforms, vehicles, and other relevant things. I made some mugs and an essential oil bottle. For a vehicle, I chose a VW bus. To me, it represents a time of celebrating and inspiring peace and adventure.

   We also created unified wayfinding signage systems and interiors/exteriors. I envisioned WellNest to be in a city setting, where people in the busiest places can stop in and relax.

   So that's WellNest! Standards manuals take a lot of time, but they're so crucial to keep a brand looking and feeling consistent. I would absolutely love to make these for a living, but we'll see what the future holds. As for WellNest, well, it'd definitely be a cool concept to use some day.

Thank you guys for checking in! What's your dream job?

​Lydia