Oh hi! I’m breaking from my regularly scheduled programming to share something I’m personally really proud of. Tada! Without further ado, here’s my new Danielle Motif brand identity!! I’ve been working on this little universe of photos & good vibes for the past year with my friend and badass designer Jake Rossilli (if you want more deets on him and our branding process you’re in luck, I did a little interview with Jake for your reading pleasure).
To begin with, I think it might be fun to explain – where the heck Motif came from because as many of you know, it’s not my last name and loads of photogs use their names in their businesses. When it comes to creativity I’m a bit like a kitten when presented with a shiny object so I’ve hopped around with various interests over the years. I also grew up in a super musical family so learning about motifs in music was like akin to learning how to crawl. That said, motifs are handy little ways artists can add a flourish or create thematic connections. For me, I came to realize that no matter the creative medium, process or output the one constant in all my projects would be me. So a Danielle Motif is my little somethin’ somethin’ that is ever-present.
With that little explanation out of the way, let’s dive into this brand expression and design train. My day job by the way is developing and managing a brand so I thought this would be easier than pie. Turns out, it’s really hard when it’s your own thing and even harder when you don’t have a lot of time and resources to pull it all together. That said, Jake and I tackled this thing like the pros we are and rolled up our sleeves. He pushed himself out of his comfort zone and so did I.
At the end of the day I know that I’m a crazy passionate storyteller and I love experiencing and photographing people gathering in beautiful places & spaces with delicious food and drink. So design-wise I wanted everything to be clean but also very full of life and energy. As a lifestyle photographer, I’m all about catching moving candid moments, traveling, stunning interior & exterior design, the plants and flowers, and of course the very root of so much enjoyment, celebration, and conversation – food and drink! We’ve been doing this as humans from the very beginning. We gather and share stories and eat. It’s at our very core and I just love everything about it.
With that context Jake started a series of sketches to try and align all this together in a new logo. At the end of the day we landed with a fun spirited wordmark that has energy and joy, a palette of black, white, gold, and a pop of “piñata pink”, and to tie it all together a series of icons. They’re all meant to play together with and without photography so I can use images as textures and bold type to make a statement. I couldn’t be happier and I’m so lucky I had such a willing partner in all of this to try and wrangle the many facets of my imagination (special shoutout to our pal, designer Rachel Frankel for the assist on the mark ups) – Thank you thank you Jake. And one more thank you, just for letting me call my brand “Taco Party” – you get me.
