Smart graphic design doesn't just need to look incredible, it needs to tell a powerful story.
That’s where SCBD comes in. I’m Sarah Casasanto, and I work with visionary organizations and individuals to help shape their brands. As an artist from way back, I am dedicated to unlocking the visual potential of your organization through fresh, unexpected designs. It’s important to me to build a relationship with you and fully explore the vision you have for your organization before I begin designing. By getting at the heart of what you’re all about, I deliver intentional designs that highlight your brand’s unique personality and message.
Smart graphic design doesn't just need to look incredible, it needs to tell a powerful story.
That’s where SCBD comes in. I’m Sarah Casasanto, and I work with visionary organizations and individuals to help shape their brands. As an artist from way back, I am dedicated to unlocking the visual potential of your organization through fresh, unexpected designs. It’s important to me to build a relationship with you and fully explore the vision you have for your organization before I begin designing. By getting at the heart of what you’re all about, I deliver intentional designs that highlight your brand’s unique personality and message.
Can you help me with...Short answer? If you can dream it, I can design it.
Need help with a full branding or rebranding process? SCBD. Want your event to look ah-maze-ing? SCBD. Desperate for a logo and a set of business cards? SCBD. I can help by designing a single brochure, or serve as your designer for a year’s worth of ad campaigns—it’s all up to you. Contact me to talk through the details of your project(s) or jump to one of the following FAQ topics.
FAQ's
UMM, QUESTION...
Isn't a brand just a logo?
Good question. This is a great opportunity to talk more about what a brand really is and where the work that I do fits in. The challenging thing is that the word “brand” gets thrown around a lot. Sometimes people say “brand” when they mean logo or brand identity. I’ll admit it: I’m guilty of this myself.
But, if you want to get technical, here the three ways it all breaks down:
BRAND
Your brand is the way you relate to your audience.
It’s how you set yourself apart from others who do similar work, offer products in the same arena, or host events like yours. So “brand” refers to your complete range of brand assets (logo, tagline, typeface, etc.) as well as how people perceive you, your values, and the experience you deliver. Branding is the act of trying to influence the perception your audience has about you.
BRAND IDENTITY
Your brand identity, sometimes called an “identity system” has visual and non-visual components, and includes all of the ways you make your brand recognizable to your audiences.
Brand identity consists of the outward facing assets of your brand like logo, typeface, color palate, tone, tagline, and other brand messaging. These elements are used to develop everything from social media posts and uniforms, to signage and business cards.
The work I do focuses on the visual side of brand identity, so when I use the term on the site and in our conversations, I’m referring to logo, typeface, color palate and guidelines for how/when to use those visual elements in different situations. I sometimes call this “brand visuals” or “visual identity.”
LOGO
A logo, or logotype, is an identifying mark that represents your brand to the world.
It should be totally unique to you and its primary job is to build recognition, trust, and loyalty. Your logo should represent all of the things about your brand in a single visual cue. Essentially, your brand speaks for you when you aren’t there to do it yourself. That’s a lot of responsibility for a single visual element, which is why designing a logo is hard and important work.
THE BIG QUESTION
How do we get started?
It’s simple: shoot me an email and we’ll set up a time to chat! The best part is that during our call, we’ll already be getting a head start on the design process. I’ll have the chance to hear your voice and tone, learn about your aspirations and challenges, and find out more about your vision for your project.
After our initial conversation, there will be some homework—the fun kind, I promise! I’ll ask you to complete a creative brief to organize your thoughts. You’ll also pull together some examples of past designs you’ve used as well as concepts and designs that you’ve seen and either loved or hated. It helps me to get a better grasp of your style and make sure we head in the right direction.
TIMING / SCHEDULE
How long will my project take?
Great question! The timeline for your project will depend on a number of factors and I promise that I’ll do whatever is in my power to make sure we are ready to go when you need your goodies.
I’ll ask if you have any deadlines, events, or happenings that might impact our workflow and from there we’ll build out a schedule. Sticking to our timeline for both delivery dates and feedback is really important. This is a collaborative effort and the final results will benefit from us working as a team. The more responsive you are with your input and edits throughout the process, the more speedily we can move along.
Every project is unique, but there are some general trends when it comes to turn-around time. For example, a logo process takes about a month and a website can take anywhere from one to three months, depending on its complexity.
PREPARATION
How should I prepare for the project discovery phase?
Preparing for a discovery phase is arguably the most fun homework assignment ever. That being said, it’s totally not required. It is okay if you need guidance and coaching throughout this part—that’s what I’m here for! But if you’re itching to get started and want to give your project some thought before we begin here are a few things I suggest:
01 Make sure you have a good understanding of your audience and your community.
02 Do some research on your competitors and your industry so that we know how to make sure you stand out.
03 Start hoarding designs and inspiration (get your Pinterest on!). I want to see the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s so helpful to know what you like as well as what you don’t. Examples can include anything from fonts and colors to imagery.
REVISIONS
What's the best way to share my design feedback?
I typically ask for feedback in a bulleted list over email and follow up with a call. It’s good for you to know the most effective way to provide input so that we can get on the right track toward your vision. I find that the most helpful feedback is specific, ideally offering suggestions and alternatives. For example, “In Concept 2, I feel like there is so much going on and I’d rather see the main mark more prominent” is much more helpful than “I don’t like Concept 2.”