Branding: Amy Hooper

Music / Meaning / Meandering : The inspiration behind songwriter Amy Hooper's Brand

I got the pleasure of getting to know Amy Hooper (a singer/songwriter from Austin) very well last year on a trip to China with Austin Sound Exchange. We were roommates, bouncing around from one Chinese college campus to another, after only a few short introductions. (I believe we initially hit it off so well because we both have weird food needs, which was pretty interesting to navigate around in a foreign country!)

If there's one thing I can say about Amy, it is that she is a servant, but not in the doormat kind of way. She's creative and strong, but also incredibly caring and empathetic. This is what I believe makes her such a great writer, and this is what has strongly influenced my vantage in designing her brand. 

How to Design This Logo:

Amy requested a handwritten font, but something more strong than girly. We decided to go with the Allura font, as it was exuberant, but not incredibly flashy or whimsical. I believe the ampersand "A" icon (which was her idea!) really sealed the deal for the both of us.

After choosing the font, the rest was relatively easy. I simply laid out the names by applying a small, 3 point shear to each letter and angled each name up to the right a few degrees as well. This made the last Y and first H come together a little more smoothly. Then, I increased the A and H in size roughly 15%, and applied a paint stroke treatment around the edges for a more customized look.

The ampersand was relatively easy. I opened the "gliphs" window from the "Fonts" tab, and chose the ampersand gliph. I then was able to simply erase the existing A and apply the same A and letter treatments from the logo I had already designed to the new icon.

I decided upon the brand theme colors by pulling out some hues from the excellent and beautiful photos that Amy already had ready to go. 

Branding: Indian & The Jones

It all happened behind my back.

Suddenly, I was in a bluegrass trio. Newgrass trio. Folk trio. Whatever, we had a big debate about the "official" genre last night, and still have not arrived at a consensus. 

Indian & The Jones is a new collaboration between myself, Tanner Evans from theResponse, and Jesse Schaefer, from theResponse, but also the man behind the top Billboard charting Christian Rock band, Scientist.

With Tanner's beautiful Mandolin playing, and Jesse's knack for arrangement and writing catchy hooks, I truly feel lucky to be tagging along. 

I'm excited to show you the music, (which will definitely be soon!) but for now, we'll just have to be happy with the logo design. (And a basic landing page... womp, womp.)

How To Design This Logo:

This logo design was created using Artisan Display Typeface by Ilham Harry on Creative Market. If you'd like to create something similar, the trick is to use the "Glyphs" panel in Adobe Illustrator. (Window > Type > Glyphs) From there, I opened a little text box on the artboard I was using, and simple clicked on whatever glyphs I thought I might use in the design. This inserted a ton of different text style options that I could then pick and choose from for the actual logo.

Hit me up in the Comments section below if you'd like some pointers, or if you know a better way to accomplish the same thing!

 

Tips for Success @ South By Southwest (SXSW)

What to Wear

Street Style Bloggers Be Like, Whoa.

Thanks to Keep Austin Stylish for the photo!

• Comfy Sandals or Boots - Try these killer Hauracha sandals from Nisolo! They work with artisan shoe makers in South and Central America to make some truly comfortable, stylish, and timeless shoes that you'll keep forever 'cus they're real good. 
• Breezy shirt and shorts
• Light Jacket
• Small Satchel or Backpack - Check out this unisex stunner from our friends over at Esperos - buy this backpack, and you send a kid to school for a year. Dang.
• Sunglasses - Duh, look no further for your next set of super fetchin' sunnies than Warby Parker. They're opening up showrooms all over the US, and even have one in Austin, so you have no excuse. 

For more ideas, Look to other pinners on Pinterest to pull together some really great outfits that will not drag you down. We've made it easy for you - click below to check out pins now.

• For Men
• For Women

 

What to Put in Your Pack or Purse

Pack light and with a Purpose!

• lightweight, collapsible water bottle - and keep filling it up. There will be several stations all around for water refills. Use them, or you will faint and then hit your head on the ground, and everyone will see you, and your SXSW dreams will be over.
• Snacks (beef jerky, fiber bars, fruit snacks) - This is important! street vendors are awesome, but the lines can get super long, and they aint cheap. Save your money for eating out once a day.
• Cash - but only between $50 and $100 a day, unless you are wanting to go to the Gear Expo, Flat Stock, or buy gifts. I'd suggest only bringing more than that for one day, and doing all of this on that day. SXSW is long, hot, fun, and tiring - it's easy to turn your pockets inside out, and easy to leave your bag unattended.
• Photo I.D. - and make sure it's current. they don't mess around in Austin during SXSW. Even if you think you're way over age and look it, don't forget it your ID - or you'll end up with humongous black x's on both of your hands that you will not be able to get off for the rest of the week!
• Credit Card - But only one, and its only for emergencies. don't bring your bank card, cus if it gets lost, so does all the money in your bank - CUS PEOPLE BE CREEPING UP ON YOUR STUFF.
• Small Flashlight/Head Lamp - it gets crazy at the free shows at auditorium shores - but oftentimes, these are the best ways to see big artists without paying the expensive admission price that usually comes with it. a flashlight will be necessary for making sure you don't leave anything on the ground or in the grass, and a handy way for your friends to find you (another good option to be found easily is to bring a colored light-up necklace or something funky and fun)
• Lightweight Flask - duh. drinking is not cheap, especially at a festival.
• A few extra hair tyes for the ladies

 

How to Make a Schedule

• Make a Plan - Stick to your guns and make a good plan for which favorite band you'll see each day. The rest of the day, hang with your friends and make sure you see their favorites as well. The venues are all pretty close together - most will be within walking distance of one another - but, keep in mind that the more popular shows will take forever to get into - so make sure you manage your expectations and don't miss your favorites!
• SXSW offers several free events that are SX sponsored - these will include panels, conference style shows (including a gear expo and graphic design/poster expo!) as well as the big 'ol shows at Auditorium shores. These are all really fun - so work them into your schedule. 
• Look no further than Facebook or Instagram for the latest on Free showcases that usually only require an RSVP - basically, a ticket in exchange for your email address. Check out the Unofficial Guide, and keyword "Free SXSW" on Facebook. On any social network, the hashtags #freesxsw, #sxswparty, and #freeatsxsw should work!