At the start of every client project, we sit down for an initial Understand Your Brand Workshop. This time together is important in unpacking the past and present, but most importantly, looking ahead to the aspirational future, and how the brand development work we do will help support being where you are, to where you want to be. The real value is looking ahead, and figuring out – together – how to get there. I’ve always loved this quote from Seth Godin: “The thing is, like it or not, the future happens. Sure, tomorrow is risky, frightening, and in some way represents one step closer to the ..read more

2022 – you came and went in the blink of an eye. As we all continue our proverbial ‘comback tour’ from the low point that was 2020, our team has had the pleasure of working with so many outstanding clients this year, and we’re thrilled with the momentum we’re carrying into 2023. These last couple years have been….trying, to say the least, for all of us. But I personally feel more motivated than ever to push through and forward and continue building, learning, and growing as we enter into our fourteenth year as a company. Nick, Paul, Bryson, and Madelene are rocking things on the design side, a ..read more

Creatives and designers like me can be pretty particular about their workspace and environment. We need to keep things fresh and looks for inspiration all around us, and while I don’t need the fanciest, most over-the-top office space to get work done and be creative, there are a few things I must have to enjoy a smooth and productive work day. A Clean Desk I never like to start the day off unorganized. I try to keep the items on my desk in their place and out of the way to avoid the hassle of finding room for my iPad, sketchbook, or laptop. Less time to clean up means more time to be creative ..read more

Color impacts everything we interact with day-to-day. It not only sets the tone for how we experience brands, retail shopping and web browsing, but color also impacts how we feel about said experiences. We interpret color through all five of our senses, making primary palette decisions extremely important since it could make or break how brands connect with their target markets. On the base level, one of the initial considerations that must be made is what type of color scheme will be used. The scheme that is ultimately chosen will strongly influence how a brand is received and interpreted. D ..read more

“What do you mean by typography? What font is that? What is a typeface?” – We continuously face questions from our clients on the difference between fonts and type, when to create something custom, and how it applies to brand development. Let’s clear some things up: The term “Typeface” refers to the family of type. The “Font” is the variant of the typeface within that family. Why is Typography important? Typography is more than choosing the latest trendy “font.” Typography is key in establishing a brand’s overall tone and feel. Not only will typography influence the user on how they feel whe ..read more

Kicking Things Off When we partner with clients, the first step is always a kickoff meeting to discuss the scope of work and the brand’s past, present, and future goals. Whether it be a logo, a website, or a full-service project with several deliverables, we always make sure to enter these meetings prepared to listen and ask questions that develop a deep understanding of the project and our partner. We start with a more casual conversation about the project to give everyone on the team a baseline understanding of the client and their business. This phase naturally segues into the client’s “Bra ..read more

The quickest way to tell someone your brand is ordinary is by telling them you’re unique. ‘Unique’ is an often overused, generalized idea – and the funny thing is, most of us think we’re unique, but we’re far from it. We’re iterations from a previous version. We’ve taken something and hopefully made it better, more useful, and more accessible. That’s good business. That’s good branding. I think a more important question than “what?” is “how”? How are you unique? Is it how your product meets a specific need? Is it a service that may be offered by a million other options, but you bring your secr ..read more

Relationships aren’t always simple. In fact, they’re pretty complicated. But every step of the way, you’re building something, you get to know each other, find out what makes your partner tick, what they respond well to (and what they don’t). You build trust, fall in love, and eventually, commit and build a life together. These milestones are achieved through the ups and downs, the good and bad, and everything that life throws your way. As you think about your own brand, and its relationship with customers, clients, and your community, what are you giving to the relationship? What are you expe ..read more

In our creative world, it can be hard to put yourself out there, so to speak. Anytime we share a suggestion or a design concept, we’re speaking from personal perspective, research, feelings, and expertise, but there’s still a chance it doesn’t hit home. That something you poured your heart and soul into will ultimately be rejected in favor of something else. Hell, who am I kidding, it happens all the time. As a design agency, anytime we send a range of options, we know there’s going to be a bulk of “no, but thanks for trying” and (ideally) a couple yes’s that get us going down a productive pat ..read more

At Proof, we love designing logos. We’ve been doing it for over 10 years and like to think that we’ve gotten quite good at it. If you take a quick stroll down Nashville’s busy streets, chances are you’ll come across some of our work: from commercial havens like Fifth + Broadway and Stocking 51 to best-in-class eateries such as Five Points Pizza and Calacas Mexican Cuisine, we worked on tons of cool projects and are always both proud and humbled to see our branding work “out in the wild”. So yes, logos are our thing. And if you’re an aspiring designer looking to learn the craft, or a small busi ..read more