Client Spotlight: Cedar Creek Counseling
I have had the privilege of working with a wonderful new client this year. An old acquaintance of mine reached out to me about a new business endeavor of his.
The best part is that it wasn’t a pyramid scheme this time.
Logan Gilmore is a licensed counselor who had an opportunity to break out on his own this year. With a newly acquired space and healthy desire for a strong start, we discussed creating a whole new brand for him, complete with a custom name, logo, website, and collateral pieces. There’s nothing quite like starting a branding project with a bank slate and an open-minded client.
After some time deliberating on potential names, Logan settled on Cedar Creek Counseling. But, what’s in a name? Well, a lot actually. Cedars are large, strong evergreens that evoke themes of resilience and growth. In a similar vein, a Creek can represent a multitude of things, but can often be symbolic of passage. Deciding to see a counselor, for any reason, is telling of one’s ability to be resilient in the face of adversity, seek personal growth, and the passage of time that takes place during this process.
With such strong conceptual elements in the name, moving onto the logo portion of the project was very exciting and honestly kept me awake at night considering all the possibilities. Experimenting with a variety of styles, I landed on some promising concepts.
Initial Concepts
The first concept is an abstract symbol that combines visual themes from the name Cedar Creek Counseling.
A series of three arcs reference the rings of a Cedar Tree, personal growth, and the passage of time. They visually tie the logo to the initials, “CCC."
The five lines represent the flow of a Creek, the journey one takes via counseling, and a landmark that serves as a point of reference for finding one’s way.
The color scheme is meant to be warm and inviting with natural tones.
The second concept is less conceptual and more representative.
A simple tree ties the naming to the logo, with a distinct PNW vibe.
The tree is made up of a series of arrows pointed in an upward direction to symbolize progress.
The color scheme references deep, cool water, with a transition to a lighter tone at the apex of the tree. This exemplifies the feeling of “coming up for air,” and emotional connection to the feelings of relief that counseling can bring.
The final concept borrows some of the thematic elements from the other two, drawing on the three C’s, the symbolism of tree rings, and air of relief and the “coming of the dawn" in an abstract way.
Most obvious, a heart makes up the core shape of the logo, indicating compassion and caring.
The color scheme transitions from a dark blue-green to a light yellow, similar to the sunlight breaking through a dense forest at dawn. While this is symbolic, it also sets the heart apart from many other logos, as it doesn’t appear in the typical shades of red. This makes the logo take on a distinctly professional appearance.
FINAL LOGO
After some further discussion and refinements, I ultimately took the initial idea of a mono-line logo from the first concept and turned the concept up to eleven. In other words, I created a unique mark filled with symbolism, faithful to the original brief, and most importantly, put a smile on my clients face (I assume. I mean, we are in the middle of a pandemic, so the whole face-to-face thing is a bit weird still).
Fully realized with a primary logo, a secondary logo, and an icon set. This logo will fulfill a variety of needs for my client. Versatile enough to be used across a wide range of applications, but still wholly unique and specific to Cedar Creek Counseling.
