To sum me up you could simply say "good is never good enough". I am a total perfectionist and just can't let things sit if I'm not completely happy with the outcome. However, there is just one thing that I always wanted to get to the stage of 100% perfection, something that when done just right should stick for a long time.

I've always been taken with companies that have solid brands that have stood the test of time - they have something great that shouldn't be messed with. Caterham Seven, Leica, Billingham... just a few brands I love or aspire to be part of.

Over the last seven years, I've constantly been fiddling with my brand, but never been totally happy. Although I quite liked my most recent logo, it just didn't resonate with me enough... and that to me of course means change.

While at a branding workshop in March hosted by Emile Sommer, the opportunity arose to work with her design studio Emilie Ink to not only come up with a new logo, but to provide a complete brand makeover - luxury stationery, patterns, colours... the works.

I set to work with the fabulously talented Christina over an introductory review to go through where I wanted the brand to be and after a couple of weeks the new logo was born:

It integrates a more designed version of the Brown Photographic symbol and provides a classier look that won't age.

The design of the stationery pieces then commenced, including letterpress business cards from Gus & Ruby, mini portfolio cards from Moo, a collection of note and gift cards and colour coordinated envelopes. All beautifully branded and incorporating my new colours and logo.

Take a look...

(letterpress cards still being lovingly pressed... blog post to come)

Thanks to Christina for all her hard work and talent - I'm finally in love with the look of my brand and this time it is sticking! Thanks also to the rest of the Emilie Inc team for their input through this process.

If you have a small business (of any kind) you should definitely check out Emilie Ink for some help polishing or redeveloping your branding. I'm over the moon with the result, but I was also extremely pleased with the whole process. I think a lot of folks worry that if they hire a team to rebrand, they will receive something that doesn't reflect their business. Not so with Emilie Ink - the experience ensures that the right level of input from you is received and heard and at every stage you can review and approve options. I also received a wonderful style guide that details how fonts and colours should be administered when producing new printed or digital materials. This is invaluable to keep the brand on track when producing ad-hoc material and updating websites etc.

They even work with the printers to get your stationery delivered to your door - now that's service!

I hope you enjoy the new, permanent look... leave a comment below - Thanks!

It is hard to believe that Oliver turns six months today! His personality is starting to shine through (very determined) and he just can’t stop smiling! Although it has been extremely tiring bringing up Oli (and we still don’t get much sleep), we can’t imagine life without the cheeky chap.

Happy six months Oli!