“Rain drops on roses & whiskers on kittens…la la la la la la la….these are a few of my favorite things!”  (Sorry about the singing….at least it was only in your head & not in your ears).  This magazine is the ONLY magazine I’ve gotten consistently over probably the last 5 years.  I love it.  I always look forward to getting at it.  I think it’s pretty, it’s crisp, it’s clean, and it’s simple.  It’s what I strive to be.

When I went to the Spread the Love tour with Justin & Mary Marantz they talked a lot about your “brand” and how important it is.  That you don’t want to simply be a brand, but that you want to make your business a love mark.  So that when people see your brand, your logo, or your name, it instantly invokes feelings of love, devotion, need.  When people see the following icons, they invoke immediate feelings (usually good)….

And I think the reason I love Real Simple (magazine, products, e-mails, website, etc), is because they are a Love Mark for me.  They illicit feelings of cleanliness, order, simplicity, calm, and so on…all things I want in my life.  So that brings me to think of my logo, my company, my brand (aka: me).  What do I want my clients, customers, friends to feel when they think of me?  What feelings to I want to come to mind when they think of me and their experience with me as their photographer?  Basically, why would I want someone to WANT to hire me?  Not really looking for any answers here, just thinking out loud.

I was at a meeting of professional photographers the other night and got to talk with the guest speaker.  She basically asked me, “What are you looking for?  What is your goal with this business?”  I suppose that is a simple question, but sometimes simple is good.

Oh, and I really like Real Simple’s tag line:  Life Made Easier.  Think I could copy it?  Could I use it for mine?  People Made Prettier…haha!  Not that one.  What are your thoughts?

Photos:  Just looking through my Real Simple magazines again at their photographs.  They may seem simple, and not very interesting.  But for some reason they speak to me, draw me in, and I need to find out why.  What is it that I like about their style?  Why are they one of my Love Marks?

I couldn’t resist posting two blogs in one day…just HAD to!  Because…..drum roll….I got a new logo!  Actually, it’s my first ever logo!  And to commemorate my 2-year-anniversary as a business, I am slapping that logo on four photos from my first ever session with Emerson.  She was 6 months old at the time of these photos (March 31, 2007) and is now a big sister!  I know her mom, Michele, won’t mind me showing off her now big girl again.  And if you LOVE my logo as much as I do, go and visit Fernanda Arce Designs!  She’s is super fabulous!  We met on Facebook because we both have children born with CDH.  Over the course of chatting back and forth, I found out that she was a graphic designer.  So I made the plunge, and Fer has designed some awesome options for my logo.  The ones you see on Emerson’s photos are the black and white versions.  The color version will be on my site shortly.  Thanks Michele & Fer for letting me share your handy-work!

*PS – I know Fer’s site is in Spanish, but she speaks (or types), perfect English…a wonderful friend to work with!