Last year i began to show more of my other skills in order to attract customers who saw the value in a full visual package, made by one person. I’m so grateful i already got to work for clients who saw the value in the visual cross-over storytelling way. And the first one i want to introduce you to is Maddy from Hogar Kokopelli, a private music school in the midst of the woods, focussed on violin.
Where people - from children to adults - can learn how to create music in a less rigid way than regular music schools. Maddy has a very personal approach to each student to make sure they feel at their best in order to shine as a musical artist. I created logos and a new visual identity for her, i made photos, a video and animations for her website. Which can be seen at www.hogarkokopelli.be.
The first thing i do when starting a new visual branding assignment is meeting up in person with the potential new client. I shot some video footage of Maddy playing the violin as reference material because i knew from the beginning i wanted to create a handdrawn animation of her for her website. I always want to look for creative alternatives that are in line with the vibe of the brand. Wen i knew Maddy wanted to use black as a background colour for her website, i knew it would work best to put all the animations on a black background as well so they could blend in. That way they would be part of a whole instead of all separate images.
After i've met the client in person, the second thing i will do is visit the place where the "business" is being conducted. To get inspired and feel the vibe, see the colours, the textures … anything that can tell me more about how the visuals should look. For Maddy that is her "yurt" ... a traditional round tent being used mainly in the steppe regions of Central Asia. It is a very important aspect of HOGAR KOKPELLI because "Hogar" is a spanish word which means "home by the fireplace". Her yurt is actually the Hogar, a place where you can come home to.
So i knew the yurt had to become part of the logo and visual branding. It would become a shape that i would use in different ways.
The next step i’ll take in creating a full visual branding story is designing a colour palette. It’s important for me to start with this because the colours will transport throughout the other visuals: the logo, the animations, the video … . For Maddy in particular i knew she wanted to include some sort of orange and also green because of her love for the trees surrounding her studio. For the logo Maddy asked me to incorporate the Kokopelli-figure. Kokopelli was a figure of Native American mythology and everywhere he came, he enchanted people with his music. I decided to use Maddy's yurt as Kokopelli's home.
I already created a colour palette so now the fun game of experimenting with shapes, colours and transparency began. I also added some sort of pool of light coming out of the Hogar (the yurt) and the shape of that "light" is a derivative of the body of a violin. I really like to provide my client with several varieties of one logo, to give them the opportunity to play around with them and choose how to use them.
After i’ve learned more about my client and felt their vibe during some shoots, i like to add little details as a bit of a surprise. To show them how much i want to pay respect to their story. I knew Maddy is a big fan of Harry Potter. And she also convinced me to watch the “Anne with an E” series on Netflix (which i ended up LOVING!). So i wanted to add a bit of magic and wonder to her story. Because her HOGAR is a magical place. While she teaches her students about the wonders of music, her old and wise friend is watching over her.
