Iconic Brand Building in Competitive Industry of Beauty Services Industry
THE CHALLENGE
My friend Margaret and I go back to the 7th grade where she was a Cindy Lauper/Depeche Mode/Madonna Mod queen and I was a budding break dancing BBoy. We weren’t really friends back then but we knew of each other and since then life’s ups, downs and criss crosses we grew into the same circles and have become life long friends ever since.
So one day Margaret contacts me about doing a logo for her newly purchased beauty salon. However, starting out in a new business she had no real budget to put behind a logo design. Since we were old friends I told her I’d do it for free. She balked at the idea at first but eventually agreed.
She wasn’t picky as she trusted me to deliver something fantastic and fantastic was surely my goal.
THE JOURNEY
I wanted to create something elegant and classy as I imagined that would be the environment of her salon.
To gather ideas I toyed with her first and last initials but didn’t really find anything that came together well. Then I had a slight memory of her middle name Michelle. I asked to confirm and I was correct. I settled on the name Margaret Michelle and began to create from there. What made the most striking impression is the double-line “M” that depicted the Margaret Michelle moniker in clever fashion. As a result, that day the Margaret Michelle Salon was born.
THE ARRIVAL
The logo was used on all merchandise, signage and promotional items throughout the salon. The destination became a staple of Southern Silicon Valley and well known through-out the central coast region. Years later her and her husband returned the favor buy cooking for a birthday gathering I had at my home in the East Bay. He was and still is quite the cook. Good food and Good friends forever.