Introducing Apiary – The Brand

We can remember it like it was yesterday. The year was 2013 and we were seated at Mimi’s dining room table with an open laptop and a stack of copy paper and a pencil. We were eagerly chatting about the future and excitedly jotting down our thoughts about the brand we wanted to create. We had already decided on the name, but we still needed to select brand colors, fonts, and above all, the logo! Somehow, with all the decisions that still needed to be made, it seemed to come with little effort. We knew what we liked and we just moved forward with that knowledge as we made decisions.

The grey, yellow and white color palette became synonymous with our brand and appeared repeatedly throughout our website, marketing materials, and social media images. The bee logo was highly recognizable and became our signature mark almost immediately. Those initial brand colors would remain with us for several years before we went through an inevitable rebrand, but the bee logo remained with us throughout every season and evolution of the business we’ve experienced since the beginning.

When we look back on The Busy Bee brand and as it appears today, we are reminded of not only how much our business has evolved since that day at Mimi’s dining table, but also of how much it has served others over the years. The very first rendition of the brand reminds us of two young women who had a dream to assist others and who didn’t allow fear to hold them back; who chose passion and purpose over comfort or doubt. And as we look forward to the journey we’re embarking on, we can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia. We’re finding ourselves in a strikingly similar reality which makes us extremely hopeful and eager for the future.

Our Initial Thoughts and Plan of Action

Long before we announced we were planning to open a shop, we had been thinking about and discussing all things branding for our new endeavor. We knew almost immediately our shop would operate under its own name, and so we knew it would need its own logo and custom branding to set it apart from The Busy Bee. And yet again, it seemed to come effortlessly providing reassurance and motivation to continue on this path.

Without hesitation, we knew we would hire our friend Siuleth of Eleven Note to help us bring our brand visions to life. We met Siuleth several years back when we were planning and designing weddings and had the opportunity to work with her on several invitation suites for our clients and projects during that season. As our business evolved, we also had the opportunity to work with her on several branding projects for a few of our other clients. Let’s just say, Siuleth is a branding genius and an uber-talented stationer with an eye for detail and design. Having had the honor to work with her in the past, we know she has the ability to take our thoughts and turn them into visual interpretations that represent our visions even more beautifully than we ever could have dreamed.

The Mood Board

After sharing our dream and mission to open a shop, Siuleth gave us some homework and asked us to gather some visual inspiration so she could better understand the direction we wanted to head. So, we went straight to Pinterest and began pinning all sorts of details we were drawn to, including storefront designs, various products, color palettes, textures, and graphics. When we’re thinking in terms of design, we both feel every good design begins with a thoughtful mood board that serves as a starting point for the overall look and feel. It doesn’t necessarily include the exact details or colors to be used within the final design, but it’s the source of truth used to ensure every design decision throughout the process is based on the aesthetic it provides.

“…every good design begins with a thoughtful mood board… it’s the source of truth used to ensure every design decision throughout the process is based on the aesthetic it provides.”

The Busy Bee

With that, Jenna created the following mood board which we sent to Siuleth for review.

Then, we waited patiently for her first rendition of the Apiary brand, which came at the perfect time on New Year’s Eve. Talk about an exciting way to ring in the new year!!

The First Rendering of the Apiary Brand

As soon as we received the notification that we had received a new email from Siuleth, we opened it immediately and our hearts began to race! There were so many inspiring details to consider and our brains went into overdrive as we began to truly envision the brand we were creating.

From there, we set a meeting on the calendar to review the rendering together and discuss the details we were loving and anything we wished to edit. As you can guess, that meeting was set for first thing when we returned to the office. As we considered each detail individually, we discovered there were different elements of various details that were speaking to us. After several attempts to visualize them mixed and matched, we grabbed a pair of scissors and some whiteout and began piecing everything together. When we landed on the final design, it wasn’t the most professional looking depiction, but we knew it was the most effective way to share our visions.

The Second Rendering of the Apiary Brand

Before we knew it, Siuleth had made our requested edits and sent back the second rendering of the Apiary brand. And there it was! The most beautiful representation of a brand we know will serve you and the rest of our community in the most intentional and purposeful way. It was also a sweet reminder of how much we love working with Siuleth and how she never disappoints.

One Minor Edit

After sharing the Apiary brand with our husbands and our mom and sleeping on it for a night, we did request one minor edit to the wheat/almond color. The first was reading a bit too dull for us and we both agreed we wanted something a bit more vibrant.

After Siuleth made that one final edit, it became official. The Apiary brand was created, and it would take everything we had in us not to share it with you and the rest of the world, until now…

Introducing the Apiary Brand

Without further ado, we are thrilled to introduce you to the Apiary brand! From the font, to the color palette and everything in between, it is beyond perfect. It’s a clean and classic look that will serve the brand for many years to come. It depicts the type of products to be featured in our shop and an aesthetic we hope inspires you to invite loved ones into your home. Also, can we talk about the “A” logo?! It’s one of our absolute favorite details and will serve as a beautiful design element to our product labels coming soon!

Speaking of the “A” logo, did you notice anything different about The Bee?! We will be sharing more on that soon, but for now, we’d love to hear what you are loving about the Apiary brand! Please share in the comments below so we can hear what inspires you when it comes to a brand’s identity and to Apiary specifically.