I’ve been thinking a lot about how to maximize the unforseen success I have had on my YouTube channel. While I liked my old logo and site design, the aesthetic was more fitting for photography, not so much for a maker/woodowrker and smith. I’ve also decided to divest in my DSLR gear. The photos that come out of my Pixel 2 XL are phenomenal and I always have it with me.
In order to launch myself as a brand, I need a cohesive look and feel and be more focused upon what I want to present and work on. So, the search for a new logo began.
I started where any logical person would… Reddit. Seriously, I started on /r/jobbit and searched for graphic design. I must have followed the links and viewed the portfolios of 20+ artists. Some had a few decent designs, some were terrible and then there was Shawn Decker. I was impressed with how striking many of his logos were and how they weaved the business theme into the logo itself.
Shawn lead me through the design process starting out with a questionnaire including what I like, don’t like, asking for examples of each, color preferences, purpose of the business, uses, etc. He then provided me with 6 concepts. All were pretty cool, but I was drawn to two of them in particular. I had him make some tweaks to one of them and he showed me 4 more options. Ultimately, I selected one of these.
I really enjoyed working with Shawn, and highly recommend him if you are looking for graphic design work!
Tada! The new logo:
New logo – I really like how it has a vintage feel, with a classic script, incorporates the hammer and anvil and the saw blade on the outside.
I also made new header images where possible and updated the look and feel of all of my social media accounts.
Lastly, I also had Shawn make a simplified version of the logo to be used as a touchmark. This is how an artist marks blades, other metal work, leather goods, etc. It is made into a metal stamp and the work is embossed with the logo. I will probably also use it as a watermark on new videos.
Here is my new touchmark:
