Psychedelics and Small Business Branding - A Unique Connection
Crissi and John, a dynamic husband-and-wife duo with a vision as unique as a double rainbow, decided to combine her training and experience as a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with his expertise as a licensed marriage and family therapist and open a mental health clinic in Monroe, LA. But this isn't any ordinary clinic; it is focused on therapeutic psychedelics, setting them apart in a way that's as distinctive as a unicorn in a field of horses.
The Branding Odyssey Begins - Questions and Insights
When they first approached me to create a logo and branding for their groundbreaking venture, Focused Consciousness, I couldn't help but be excited and intrigued. How often do you get to work on branding for something as mind-expanding as psychedelics? It's the graphic designer equivalent of Alice falling down the rabbit hole.
Defining the Brand: Key Questions and Answers
Our journey began with a conversation, as many great trips do. I asked Crissi a few essential questions to fine-tune my understanding of their brand's essence.
1. Three Words That Define Us: "What three words best describe your brand?" I inquired. Crissi's response was, "Enlightening, transformative, meaningful."
2. Crafting Emotions: "How would you like clients to feel about working with you?" I probed further. She responded: "Hopeful before they have even met us and transformed after."
3. A Tagline to Remember: When it came to a tagline for her brand, Crissi had some compelling ideas: "Possibly psychedelic therapeutics for transformative changes or Better living through psychedelics." With some time and refinement, we settled on Psychedelic Therapeutics For Transformational Healing.
4. Creating the Ideal Client Persona: Next up, define the perfect client. Together, we crafted a detailed profile encompassing age, mental health history, and that potential client's quest for the missing spark in their treatment. This client is seeking profound change.
Navigating the Branding Landscape - Research and Inspiration
Armed with this invaluable information, I dove into researching their closest local competitors' branding and a few eye-catching companies that lay outside the southern region. My mission: to make Focused Consciousness a visual stand-out like a neon sign in a desert.
Designing the Focused Consciousness Bee
Crissi and I discussed her ideas for the logo. She knew she wanted the logo to incorporate a bee and the chemical structures of the psychedelics they'd offer their clients and sent along a Pinterest board brimming with bee inspiration.
The Creative Process - Bees, Compounds, and Colors
I started sketching bees, both from above and from the side. But the top-down bee won the day, so I took it into Illustrator, crafting a custom bee illustration that would be totally unique. No stock was used in the creation of this logo :). I followed the same process as I vectorized the chemical structures for MDMA, Ketamine, Psilocybin, and Marijuana, adding a touch of creative flair (and taking some creative license) when needed.
Typography and Fonts - Capturing the Vibe
For fonts, I set my sights on the '60s rock concert poster vibe but with a modern twist. I also picked a sans-serif font family for web use because, in the digital age, being web-friendly is as important as having a sturdy backpack on a hiking trip. A font whiteboard presented the best pairings for Crissi's review, and we quickly settled on a winner.
With fonts settled, I first crafted a text-only logo, followed by the full logo featuring the chemical compounds and the bee. It was like piecing together a colorful jigsaw puzzle, with every element fitting just right.
Color Storyboard: A Dash of Pepper, Sergeant Pepper
Simultaneously, I crafted a color storyboard. Our goal was for the brand colors to cut through the competition with bright and inspirational colors. We wanted to convey transformation, enlightenment, and collaboration in a palette that was as vibrant as it was positive.
Yellow, black, and light blue emerged as our primary colors after several rounds of refinement. And as for secondary brand colors? We drew inspiration from the Beatles' iconic Sergeant Pepper album, splashing on shades of purple, pink, orange, and green.
Final Touches - Composition and Harmony
The final touch was applying these colors to the logo and refining its composition until it was as harmonious as a Beatles melody.
The result? Crissi and John were delighted when they received their logo, along with their branded bees and chemical compounds, for use throughout their marketing.
"We LOVE the work… Love, love, love, love, and it was worth the wait. Can't wait to get that bee on some T-shirts." Crissi Brooks
If you would like to learn more about Focused Consciousness and the innovative work they are doing, please visit the website at: https://www.focusedconsciousness.com/ or you can find them on Instagram @focusedconsciouness
Ready to Begin Your Branding Journey?
And that's the story of how Celebelle turned a bee and some chemical structures into a brand as part of our small business branding package. Curious about how you can get started on your own branding journey with Celebelle? Just fill out a new project inquiry form. We would love to discuss your ideas and make them a reality.