Yolanda was moving her studio from Canada to Texas and relaunching in the US. The work was beautiful, but the brand around it looked homemade: a heavy black serif set next to a thin sans tagline, with no system behind it. She wanted to look like the professional studio she already was.
Results
- Typefaces — 1
- Design time — 6 weeks
- Site templates on the system — 10
- Launch — with the US relaunch
- Client — loved it
STEP 01
Keep what they loved, grow it up
Yolanda already loved her initials. The brief wasn't a new mark, it was a more mature version of the one she had.
The blocky serif became a flowing monogram drawn from traditional monogram structures, with a softer rhythm, an "Est. 2016" and "Art & Decor" to round it out. Classic and boutique, artisanal rather than corporate.
Visual reference: logo before / after
STEP 02
Write the rules down
A brand only stays consistent if someone can follow it after you leave. So the identity came with guidelines: one book covering the logo and its spacing, icons, color, typography, imagery and layout, with clear do's and don'ts for each.
Visual reference: the 6 guideline chapters: Logo, Icons, Colors, Typography, Images, Layout
STEP 03
Pull the palette from the clay
Soft neutrals, warm blush and rich browns, taken from the materials themselves. The creams give handmade textures a calm backdrop; clay and blush carry the artisan warmth.
One typeface, Altone: a geometric sans with humanist warmth, friendly but refined. Lines and dividers only ever come in warm brown, never black or gray, so nothing on the page feels harsh.
Visual reference: swatches #36271b · #6e4e37 · #a87452 · #c8a891 · #e8dccf · #f4f1eb + Altone specimen
STEP 04
Draw icons that feel handmade
A clean, flat navigation set, and a proprietary set for what makes YFL different: women-owned and women-led, handmade with love, eco-conscious materials, custom-designed and gift-ready packaging.
Same stroke width, rounded corners and dashed lines, so even the icons look crafted.
Visual reference: "Why Choose YFL" icon row
STEP 05
Direct the light
The imagery rules: warm, soft and focused on texture, celebrating the process and the small imperfections of handmade pieces. Natural light, real homes, neutral tones.
And just as clear on what not to do: no overexposed or oversaturated shots, no clutter, no neon or cold light, no stock photos that misrepresent the product, nothing cartoonish.
Visual reference: photo direction
STEP 06
Set the tone, then hand it over
I designed the homepage and collection page as the reference for everything else: a magazine-like story from "Handmade decor, rooted in story" through to meeting the artist, in square bento containers with generous breathing room and terracotta buttons.
The team built the rest of the site on that system, and it went live with her US relaunch.
Visual reference: homepage and collection page mockups