What's 'Golden Candle', you ask?
Golden Candle is (potentially) my (future) brand, deriving from my own last name (Candeloro)! Whilst it doesn't directly translate, 'oro' means 'gold' in Italian and, well, 'Candel' sounds close enough to 'candle' to me. An Italian man once told me my surname came from some kind of ancient tradition or festival involving children lighting candles - oh how I wish I remember! I wonder if it's even a true story?
So anyway...you might be thinking the logo is surely a Candle...but, I'm sorry to say it - you're wrong.
In fact, it's a heart - with two wings, and a halo (with a simpler variation of just wings for particular promotional materials). I can't exactly explain why I feel this is my symbol, but I drew this many years ago, when asked at a school camp to draw what our own personal symbol is. I feel the heart is a great way to show, my brand is a brand which truly cares. We care about the environment, our customers, ethical treatment towards employees, and about giving back. Mental health is definitely an area close to my heart personally and I would love to someday become successful enough to be able to donate profits towards a trustworthy mental health organisation.
The 'wings' in my logo really represents freedom - the freedom of self-expression associated with my brand, whose motto is "self-expression is timeless" and, as an eclectic brand, "a wardrobe for your multiple personalities."
I absolutely loved creating my mock-up branding materials, including business card, swing tags and sew-in labels. I made an actual Instagram account @goldencandle_label too! For the colour palette, I chose a mixture of black and gold for more edgy or sleek styles, whilst the baby pink and pink tones are well suited to more cute, quirky designs.
I also really enjoyed identifying my ideal target customer and I won't go too much into the demographics/personality etc, 'cos that's all confidential info, ya know? But let's just say it's quite a niche one, comprised of fabulous people who love unique yet timeless styles! ;)
Completing my 'branding' assignment opened my eyes to the possibility of pursuing graphic design or marketing in the future, as it's something I felt I was quite natural at (with my background in psychology and astute understanding of personality typology) as well as passionate about in regards to creativity!
So anyway, chuck my new (currently mock) brand a follow, and we will see how it (really) develops over the years together,
Nicole.
xx