It's very daunting choosing your business name, once you've got it you're kind of stuck with it (apart from going down the even more daunting route of re-branding!).
To begin, I knew I wanted a 'something' AND 'something' name. That's it. That's all I had.
I chatted to my family, my best friend and my boyfriend and we had lists of names on the go, seeing which words worked together.
This then led me into thinking, as I'm based in the Forest of Dean and have lived here most of my life, I felt it should somehow link to the forest. My studio is based in Blakeney, in just 10 minutes (walking) you're in the middle of the forest. It really is such a beautiful place to live!
Foxgloves flower from June to September, you will see them on any forest walks during this time of year. They bring a gorgeous splash of cerise pink to the otherwise green surroundings. When I was a child, there were foxgloves in my grandparents garden. We were always told not to touch them, as they're poisonous, but this just intrigued me more. They had a huge garden and this was the one plant we were told not to touch. I spent many hours drawing these forbidden flowers.
The moss comes from the carpet of moss which covers the forest floors, trees and any other structure it's allowed to grow on!
In symbolism from many cultures, moss is said to bring about a sense of nostalgia and contentment. It is a symbol of hard work, resilience and dedication to achieving your goals.
Certainly very fitting when I was setting up my new business!
Foxglove or 'Digitalis', Latin name 'digitus', actually means "finger like". This references the foxgloves bell shaped flowers, which look like they could fit a small finger like a thimble. In Europe, they are actually commonly known as 'fairy thimbles' or 'fairy gloves'.
As with many flowers, there has been many different meanings over the years, some positive and some negative. I went by my favourite meanings: energy, creativity and intuition. The Victorian language of flowers also said that the gift of flowers to another symbolises ambition to the person receiving the flowers, which is also lovely!
With my name chosen, my next decision was what would my logo look like?
I studied Illustration at art college and knew straight away who I wanted to design my logo. My good friend Brittany Davies Art (see link below) draws the most beautiful logos; they're completely unique to your business and I really wanted that illustrated look instead of a mainly text design.
From our first chat about my logo, I knew that Brittany was on the same page as me. She sent through some initial ideas and I loved them all! I decided to go for the round design with the text in the centre, I think it's very eye catching and recognisable.
That's how I came up with my business name, logo and brand colours, which come from the deep pinks of the foxgloves and the mossy greens.
If you're considering starting your own business, don't rush this part! It's so important and I'm really glad I took the time to think about it. Also, check out Brittany Davies Art for a completely unique logo, link below.
Thanks for reading,
Lauren
