Work in Process
The Swail Studio Blog about Branding,
visual identity, magic, and the void.
how to strategically half-ass things
Dispatch from my Mars return in Cancer 🦀
Especially when it comes to business, absolutely none of the Mars in Cancer advice matches up with conventional “get shit done” motivational advice.
After 5 years of selling stuff on the internet, I understand how I have to approach business better than ever, and it’s frankly not generally recommended.
WARM SOPHISTICATED SIMPLICITY 🏠🪴🖍️🛋️
Meet the new visual identity and website for Brooklyn Speech Therapy!
Taylor is the founder, and her unconventional approach hinges on working with clients in their own homes — so her brand needed to feel just as inviting, cozy, and clean as the home of a Brooklyn professional (given that there will always be coffee mugs out, stickers on walls, and art on the fridge).
MEET FIREBRAND ❤️🔥
FIREBRAND is the rebrand for unconventional business owners that honors your weirdness, so you can show up as your full self and call in your deepest-dream clients at a price point that truly reflects your expertise.
I was hired based on the color of my resume paper.
I had no idea that this was how it went down until my art director told me the story over lunch six months later...
SUNSHINE, FRESHNESS & FLOW 🍊 🌞 🍋 🌱 🍋🟩
Inspired by the movement and flow of art nouveau — and the dance backgrounds shared by the members — the logo and accents incorporate varied line weights and intentionally-imperfect curves and flourishes that draw the eye through logos and patterns.
unobstructed views
I had no grasp of just how obstructed my view of the sky is in NYC until I moved away. We all know that moving somewhere new means a big PeRsPeCtIvE sHiFt. But literally… have you ever just looked at THE SKY in utter awe?
🌱 The Rebirth of Earthshine Holistics 🌱
This project speaks to not only *just how far* you can take a brand kit, but the difference that the details of a full and cohesive logo system can make, and the pros of hiring a pro when you have a design job you know you're not going to do justice by yourself.
sit in the sun with me
I just moved 1000 miles across the country and I’d like to sit in the sun and dream for a minute, if you’ll join me.
It’s time.
How do you know it’s the right time to commit to a new brand? I’ve found lots of good indicators that *it’s time* to rebrand over the years, but here are some of the biggest green flags that it’s time to hire someone to lay down the basics of your visual identity and make your life a little easier.
Honestly, branding is superficial.
It’s thought of as a nice-to-have, but definitely not critical, investment. Maybe you'll get to it when you have a "really good" year or something.
But lately, I’ve been thinking about how the superficiality of branding isn’t a bug — it’s a feature.