Brand Design for Second Journey
There’s something extra special about being smack dab in the middle of my client’s target audience. Of course it’s not necessary for a successful result, but it creates a unique affinity and an extra depth of understanding that always benefits the final project.
This is exactly what happened as I worked with Rebecca Johnson, founder of Second Journey. Rebecca is also a brand strategist, but her expertise is in written communication and storytelling. She had a huge vision for this new community and wanted a creative partner who could bring her vision to life. Like myself, she spent many years in creative agencies, so working with someone who understood the lingo and process from an insider’s perspective was a treat.
Come take another peek behind the scenes. This might be my proudest project-baby yet!
1 | Brand Strategy
Second Journey is a new mentoring community for professional women who are exploring questions about work, life, and faith in the second half of their life. The name is based on a quote from Brennan Manning, “The second journey begins when we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the morning program.” After over a year of research and listening to her audience, Rebecca is using her expertise as a coach to help women be unapologetically curious and support each other as they ask “what’s next?"
Our Brand Strategy revealed these keywords: abundant, awakened, and collective. The color psychology of copper is warmth, optimism, and abundance while the dark purple is wisdom, sophisticated, and spiritual. The overall earthy, autumn palette feels like safety, acceptance, and a welcoming space for women to come with questions, doubts, and a deep yearning to become even more of who God created them to be.
2 | Logo Design
Our goal with the logo was to keep it clean, professional, and not overly feminine. The word “second” provided opportunity for play, as “second” can also be written as “2nd” but we didn’t want to cause any confusion in the spelling of the website as “secondjourney.life.” By using a flipped “2” in place of the “S,” it has an unexpected twist without losing any legibility.
The swashes at the beginning and end of “journey” are intentional. Women in midlife are in the unique position of drawing from their past experiences while at the same time reaching forward to discover what’s next. Those extensions symbolize this reaching in both directions. The script font also gives the idea of motion or travel and softens the sans serif font above it.
3 | Brand Board
In addition to the usual design elements like alternate logos, typography, and patterns, we had another factor to keep in mind. From the get go, Rebecca knew this unique community would reside on a membership platform called Mighty Networks. This was my first experimentation with MN, and it was a fun challenge to see it behind the scenes and create graphics that would work well on desktop and mobile app.
This included photos for each of the 10 group topics and a larger color palette than usual to coordinate with each photo. We did a lot of experimentation with background and button colors so members would have the best possible experience and her brand would be consistent.
4 | Collateral & Social Media
I created a multipurpose workbook cover and social media banners and templates in Canva. These are easy to use and edit.
5 | Marketing & Website
By giving Rebecca a variety of elements to work with and clear guidelines, she continues to create other materials for the group. This includes her Squarespace website, free resources, and printed cards called a Values Deck. (See her images below.) I love seeing clients create what they need so they can fly! Rebecca has such great design sense that I’m always looking forward to what she’ll create next.
This brand reveal is a great example of my Signature Brand Package which includes all the standard elements of brand design while still allowing you to choose the exact elements you need for your specific business.
“Having worked for 10 years in a creative agency, when I discovered Michelle's work I immediately spotted the signs of a real pro. She understands how color tells a story and every detail communicates in the blink of an eye.
Her process was seamless and organized, allowing us to focus on creative solutions. All her design elements work beautifully in standard communication channels and our private online community. Even better, it’s consistent and easy for me to use.
Many designers can create logos that look great but miss the all-important message behind the brand. Michelle's step-by-step approach reflects her expertise and years of experience producing the whole package. She’s a top-notch creative partner!”
– Rebecca Johnson, Founder, Second Journey
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