So, in the last email I told you a bit more about what logos and brand names are all about and why you should spend a little bit of time thinking about them.

Missed the email? You can read it here.

Today I want to show some examples of logos and the stories behind them. 

I'm a visual learner, examples always help me understand better.

1. BEACON Chiropractic

This logo is 9 years or so old. It was the very first chiropractic clinic I ever rebranded.

The previous logo is not a bad logo, from a design standpoint. 

However, the chiropractic office is very much focused on pediatric care and belongs to one of the best pediatric chiros out there!

Shout out to Dr. Bronstein who took care of me and my kids until we left California.

The new logo is much softer and speaks to the pediatric focus of the clinic. 

2. ALIVE Wellness Center

Talk about an upgrade, baby! 😍

We took Dr. Nimira's sun and added some class.

We created a brand identity that matched the level of service and care her patients receive in her office, AND a logo and colors that matched her beautiful style in her office.

That's not usually how it works, but if there are brand-defining elements, we try to incorporate them in the overall identity. They are all small pieces of the puzzle that makes up your brand in the mind of the audience.

I'm only sharing the logo here. What you DON'T see is the rest of the visual brand identity, but more importantly the defined Purpose, Vision, Mission and Core Values.

You don't see the tagline and the work that went into defining the brand persona and brand voice.

Dr. Nimira could have gotten a logo anywhere (in fact, that's what she had before she came to me), now she has a BRAND.

3. CHOICE Chiropractic

Dr. Jill joined Balanced Brands as a Branding Bootcamp student. She quickly became a private client because she wanted more guidance in the branding process and due to her busy schedule.

It was really fun working with her on her brand. But there is also a deeper lesson to be learned from her experience.

Before we started the branding process together, she had already paid a graphic designer to create a new logo for her (The bottom one on the left with the flower). But Jill was sharing with me how she had problems USING the logo because the thin lines made it almost invisible on anything other than a solid background. 

The curly font also becomes dated quickly and I usually advise my clients against using fonts like that in their logos (they can still be used as brand fonts, though!)

But the biggest alarm went off when Jill told me that she had come across her very logo as a tattoo during a recent Google search. 🚩

Say whaaaat? 😳

A quick search on my part confirmed that her "logo", which she had paid THOUSANDS of 💵 for, was indeed available as a graphic on Etsy and Adobe Stock.

The biggest problem with that is that she as the business owner doesn't own the copyright to her own business logo. Even if you have a license to USE it, you have to make sure you actually OWN it!

Needless to say it was time to create a proper logo.

She had originally chosen the daffodil because it symbolizes rebirth and new beginnings.

We tried a few different logo versions with a daffodil and then I made a succulent logo as a suggestion. Jill had been talking about some new succulents she got for the office and wanted them on her website as well. 

Succulents, with their enduring resilience and ability to thrive in the harshest conditions, symbolize the strength we all carry within us. They teach us that even in life's most challenging moments, we have the power to endure, grow, and emerge stronger. 

These remarkable plants inspire self-sufficiency, simplicity, and patience, reminding us to find beauty in life's essentials and to embrace the opportunity for renewal. They are a reassuring reminder that, like the succulent, we possess the inner fortitude to overcome adversity and blossom with grace.

They seemed like a perfect fit for her audience of stressed moms of kids with neurodevelopmental difficulties and women with mental health challenges.

There are three things to be learned from this story:

1. Don't do a rebrand WITHOUT a brand strategy!

2. Always have a contract, especially for high-ticket items!

3. Not to toot my own horn, but if you want it done right, just work with me. 😘

__________________

4. SAVIE HEALTH

At least 95% of my clients are chiropractic clinics or chiropractic coaches. But every once in a while a project comes my way I just can't say no to.

Savie Health is one of those projects. It's a medical clinic in an agricultural community in California that provides free medical care for uninsured adults regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or immigration status. 🫶🏼 

How cool would it be if they could offer free chiropractic care there, too?! Or better yet, could you imagine a free chiropractic clinic, a non-profit organization that helps the underserved? 🤔

I had worked with Executive Director Abe Lincoln on a logo for a different health clinic before and he reached out to me for a rebrand of this relatively new, but struggling clinic. 

[I've also helped Abe with his personal brand when he ran for City Council a few years ago.]

He summed up the new logo like this: 

The number three not only goes with the our tagline: Health · Community · Equity, but it's also a perfect symbol for the three pillars of our organization: patients, volunteers, and donors. I also see the three colors of the "moons" as a nod to the ocean, agriculture, and maybe a slight nod to the flowers (at least a poppy). Last but not least, I love the gray and block-like structure of "HEALTH." It absolutely represents a strong foundation on which everything can grow.

The result? After working together for just 2 months he shared THIS with me! 🤯 

5. TWISTY

Twisty was rocking it for YEARS without a personal brand while helping others grow their brands.

He's a brilliant visionary and chiropractic growth coordinator. If your marketing is stale, you need to connect with him.

His brand needed to reflect his creativity and rebel spirit. If you've met Tristan, you know what I'm talking about.

When we talked about his brand persona, Walt Disney came up. And he was the inspiration behind this logo. Combine that with the 🌪️ and you got yourself a logo.

The result? Over the next two months after rebranding he saw a 40% increase in engagement on social media, reach was up 16%, subscribers/followers up 14%, and his average annual client value was up by $1000. 💥

6. FOCUS Academy

Another one of my favorite logos that's aging quite well.

I'm not really sure when and how each older logo was used, but this is what we started with on the left

The final logo is a combination of a flower and a brain. One of Dr. Amy Spoelstra's teachings is that the brain develops like a flower, and she also has a program called "Brain Blossoms", so the flower and brain images fit well within the existing brand story. 

Her FOCUS program is based on four pillars which are represented by the four petals.

If you're a pediatric chiropractor, especially one focusing on helping kids with neurodevelopmental differences, you need to check out FOCUS Academy!

7. ONDAKI Chiropractic

And last, but not least, I want to share this brand again, because I love it so much. 😍

Ondaki is a made-up word from onda = wave and ki = life force & energy, based on Dr. Steve Asti's vision of creating a wave or ripple effect of healing and positive changes in people’s health which in turn will allow them to affect positive changes in others. 

His target audience is teachers and other educators. Their well-being can affect generations.

The O in Ondaki is a stylization of that ripple effect.

BTW, Ondaki is also a great example for micro messaging in brand name and tagline. More on that in the next email.

Once that connection is made between the brand name (Ondaki), the tagline (Start a ripple), and the logo, it's strong. You can't detach the story from it anymore. You just get it.

And that, , is BRANDING.

Click here to see a web copy of this email.