BRANDING: JAMES STREET BINDERY
I can honestly say that this has been one of my favorite projects I have ever had the opportunity to be a part of. This is a new business so I was able to shape every facet of the branding.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND:
James Street Bindery was started by rare book and paper conservator Alexandrea (Ali) Pizza (pronounced pEEza). Ali has an artistic soul and was originally trained as a glass blower prior to turning her attentions to the art of book binding. She learned her craft from the world renowned book and paper conservators at the Bodleian Library (this place is amazing...check it out) including Christopher Clarkson at Oxford University.
THE NAME:
Ali and her husband married and moved to England. Together they settled into their first home together in Oxford on James Street. It was in this home that they started their lives together and welcomed their first child, a baby girl, into the world. James Street holds a special place in her heart so when it came to naming her first independent business venture it was a no-brainer. And thus, James Street Bindery was born.
THE INSPIRATION:
After several initial conversations with Ali and review of her completed branding questionnaire, client homework that assists me in better understanding and fulfilling my client's needs, I was able to grasp the aesthetic she wanted to represent James Street Bindery and create an inspiration board.
Points of emphasis included:
+ A desire to depart from the traditional aesthetic of older, rare books. While Ali is a master of her craft and often restores these types of books, this is a new business and she is also an artist who can create/bind a new book (from start to finish... amazing, I know) and wanted to emphasize the modernity of her practice.
+ The desire to convey both the masculinity of the bookbinding process and tools as well as the feminine touch that she brings into the process as a woman.
+ One of her favorite aesthetics of the book binding process are the variations of whites that are found in the paper and in her tools made of animal bone.
+ She loves her tools! Her bookbinding tools, brushes, weights and presses have been collected by her throughout her career and each has their own story.
THREE LOGO OPTIONS WERE PRESENTED:
Three versions were presented. Each presented the clean, modern aesthetic she desired but also subtly referenced the art of book binding. This is always an exciting part of the process for me. I just never know which one will get selected...the suspense!
ONE LOGO WAS SELECTED:
Ali selected option 2, I love the combination of fonts used in this option, and from that the style guide was born. I always include logo variations, the color palette (a custom pattern when applicable) and selected fonts.
PHOTOS & VIDEOS:
Every great brand, particularly a business operating in the artistic realm, needs strong supporting images for various collateral and their web presence. And this is where the fun begins. We selected items from Ali's workshop and home and styled her work space to reflect the inspiration board. Then the camera and the iPhone came out. Luckily the space we were in had fantastic lighting which made my work much easier. We had created a list of images and videos we hoped to capture beforehand which help guide the shoot and keep us on task. This included a thorough review of the preliminary website outline to ensure we were would end up with images that supported the story we wanted tell through the webpage. Thanks to all of our planning, the shoot couldn't have gone any better!
COLLATERAL:
Ali asked for business cards and some images for her Instagram page. She loved the custom pattern that was created for her so I used that in the business cards and also made a point to emphasize the white on white she associates with the paper used in book binding.
WEBSITE:
The primary purpose of the website is to entice people to work with Ali. As such, I wanted to make sure the site was not only infused with the brand but easy for visitors to learn more about James Street Bindery and ultimately take action. The photos proved to be a great asset for the site and really gave good insight into Ali's process. In addition, Ali has created a great blog to futher share her work on process with potential customers. Take a look!
