Akula Kreative

DefineBottle.com officially launched last week, and orders have been piling in ever since! E-commerce is by no means our specialty, but thankfully the checkout process has been smooth sailing thus far. In case you’re unfamiliar with Define Bottle, you can read the inspiring back story to this innovative, healthy-habit-forming water bottle right HERE.

Carter, Carla, and Mark have been amazing clients, and we can’t be more appreciative of their patience, flexibility, and gratitude throughout the design process. We hope their clean, fresh, and vibrant design is everything they hoped for (and more).

Here’s a quick look back at Define Bottle’s branding, from logo to letterhead to website:

It’s pretty fun to see how a brand can translate from screen to paper and back to screen again.

If you’re interested in ordering an eco-chic bottle for fruit-infused water on the go, Define Bottle is now accepting orders for the Sport version in the US and Canada! The first production run is limited, so be sure to grab one before they run out!!!

www.definebottle.com

First, let’s clarify: we do NOT specialize in building websites in a day. However, it IS possible, and we have done it. We do not condone the practice, but we admit we’re a little proud of ourselves right now.

It took about a week to get hosting and a few domain transfers in order, but as of this morning, none of these web files (or photos) existed. Thanks go to WordPress for building an excellent platform, and Rebecca for taking these photos with her iPhone as we moved furniture out of our studio. (This website is for the building in Del Mar we’re just moving out of in preparation for Austin.)

Check out the before and after screenshots below: our landlord built the first himself using Website Builder software from his former hosting company, and the second we built today. Our goal was to transform the same information into something cleaner, fresher, and easier to understand. The solution? Communicate the point of the website in the header, increase the white space, use larger photos, and add a call to action.

Nothing makes snail mail more fun than a custom rubber stamp! Add personal touches to your correspondence with a professionally-designed return address stamp or sweeten your photography packaging with your custom logo or graphic!

We now [officially] offer rubber stamps for anything you can imagine, from a 1″ x 1″ mini stamp to a giant 6″ x 6″ masterpiece. If you’re a stamping newbie, the glory of a CLEAR rubber stamp is that you can see exactly where your stamping—perfect for those with OCD like me. :)

Free stamp design and a 20% discount comes with every branding package we offer. Contact us for details.

A small collection of ready-made stamps will soon be available in our Etsy Shop, too!

Here’s a super special sneak peek at another project we just wrapped up today! So much is in the works that we haven’t had a chance to blog about it all yet…but you won’t be disappointed!

Socialology is an event planning and design company based in Washington, D.C. and they are the proud new owners of a gorgeously crafted stationery suite! This business card is our baby…it combines offset, letterpress, foil stamping, a multi-level emboss, AND edge painting. We love it and couldn’t be more proud.

Thanks to our wonderful client Jasmine, talented calligrapher and artist Andy Luce of Visual Armory, and awesome printer In to Ink, and for making it happen!

It’s proofing time for Elizabeth Heart, a new brand for Aimee Jobe, a Propel alum…

Here’s a sneak peek of the fun, feminine branding for the super talented photographer based out of Brainerd, Minnesota…more on this SOON!

Back when Wattie and I were discussing a new site for his edgy sports management brand, he wanted to make sure we’d be able to easily change the accent color. I explained to him it was a pretty basic changeover, and that one of the MANY advantages of using WordPress is that it makes freshening up a site a breeze. Well…it turns out it only took 30 minutes! By updating the header graphic and a bit of CSS, Wattie’s hot new color scheme took effect just hours before athletes flooded the site to apply for a coveted spot on the Wattie Ink. Elite Team.

The blue was cool, but this fluorescent yellow against the black…ummm, ROCKS.

My friend Amy came to me with a bit of a conundrum: come up with a wedding theme that combines Southern charm with SoCal flair in a modern, non-traditional way. When I think “southern wedding,” I picture delicate lace and rustic details, live music in an intimate outdoor space…but that’s a far cry from Amy and her fiancé Tracy’s tastes. In lieu of the standard ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, they’ve opted for just “one big party” where they can relax, have fun, and enjoy the company of their friends. Knowing them as a couple, it made perfect sense to me; however, I had no idea how we were going to bring Tracy’s southern roots into their Downtown San Diego soirée.

After doing some research, I kept coming back to the words “South” and “Southwest.” San Diego is, after all, the southwest-most tip of the country. Then it hit me. Why not call it “South by Southwest” and make directional signs, maps, and all things “navigation” the theme of the party? We could not only give it a modern feel, but we could also easily incorporate Amy’s color palette of turquoise/aqua, tangerine, and yellow.

As you can see above, coming up with a party theme is really no different from branding an actual company. By defining a unique group of colors, patterns, typefaces, and graphics, you can create a cohesive look and feel that your guests will be sure to remember!

Above, we have Amy and Tracy’s modern Save the Date card. It’s an A2 folded card, but instead of doing the traditional layout where you print on the front and right-inside panels, we printed all the way across the inside panel. By offset printing on one side instead of both, we were able to keep costs down while still delivering an impact. We also put to use a fun little twist on “tying the knot” by knotting silver twine that tightens as you open the card:

We came across this knot idea on Pinterest, and Amy fell in love with the idea right away. (I’d provide a link to the original idea here, but Pinterest seems to be experiencing technical difficulties at the moment.)

Every wedding needs a website now, so we’ve customized a WordPress template for Amy and Tracy that coordinates seamlessly with their branding. The home page features a picture slideshow that scrolls back and forth to reveal photos of the Mr. and Mrs. To-Be. Scroll left, and you’ll see Tracy and his home state of Tennessee; scroll right, and you’ll see Amy and her home state of California.

Congratulations, Amy and Tracy!!! We can’t wait for 3.9.13!

So we’re not 100% sure how Define Bottle found us through Google, but we’re sure glad they did. The creators of a reusable glass “fruit infused water bottle” contacted us in August to bring their brand to life, and when they showed us a prototype image, we hopped on board. With the help and expertise of AN Design Lab, they have developed a product that is not only beautiful, but also supports healthy habits.

Here’s what Carla, Co-Owner of Define Bottle, had to tell us:

Tell us a bit more about your line of work. What products do you offer?

We are the creators of a reusable glass “fruit infused water bottle.” The nature of our bottle allows the consumer to put fresh fruit, herbs, etc. in the bottom portion of the bottle. The fruit is held at the bottom half of the bottle, and the bottle is then filled with water. It allows you to have fresh fruit infused water without any chemicals or added sugars. Plus, it looks really cool to see the floating fruit in the bottom half of the bottle.

We couldn’t agree more. In fact, we already ordered a set and can’t wait for them to arrive in December!

If a potential client were to see your branding, how would you want it to make them feel?

I would want them to think it was modern, sophisticated, classy, and a bit fun.

If you were to describe your brand in 5 words, what would they be?

Driven, smart, athletic, healthy, and likes nice things.

With that in mind, we came up with a custom logo, color palette, and pattern:

Fast forward to a few weeks later, and we have Define Bottle’s new letterhead suite! We kept it modern, clean, and fresh, and increased the luxury factor by way of cotton paper, double-sided letterhead, wrap-around address labels, and a truly unique business card.

Letterhead // Offset printed on Classic Crest 24# Writing (2 Pantones on front, 1 Pantone on back)
Wrap-Around Address Label // Offset printed on Mactac Metro 60# Crack’n'Peel (1 Pantone)
#10 OE Envelope in Cement

The business card has been offset printed in 1 Pantone on the front, then foil-stamped in yellow. On the back, the Define Bottle pattern has been letterpress printed in 1 Pantone. Two sheets of Savoy 118# Cover have been glue mounted to make one thick, classy card! If only you could see (and feel) it in person…

For stationery, we got a little creative. Using one of the patterned second sheets, we made an A2 envelope liner; for a card, we used an A2 flat card in cement (to match the #10 envelope), then wrapped one of the address labels around the top left edge. Instant stationery at little extra cost!

Here’s a detail shot of the shimmery back of the business card. The printer had a little fun with this and dusted a select few with silver- and blue-toned powder. So beautiful! We love how this pattern turned out. It brings the suite together so nicely.

For more info about Define Bottle, check them out on Facebook, Twitter, or their website. You can help them reach their fundraising goal by clicking HERE and pre-ordering a bottle of your own!

For our other post on Define Bottle’s social media branding, click HERE.

We first heard about KidsFest San Diego through our friend, the one-and-only Fairytale Fashionista. I attended the family-friendly festival this year to check out the Fashionista’s dress-up tent, and ended up having a great time (despite the fact I have no kiddies yet). Truth be told, I’m a little nervous for when I DO have kids and I take them to places like this. Not because they won’t have a good time, but because they’ll probably have to wait for me to finish craft projects designed for them. :)

Anyway, I loved everything about the KidsFest scene: the food trucks, the creative, outdoor activities, and the generally chill, clean environment. (I used to LOVE the fair in middle and high school, but it’s not a place where you can just plop down on the grass with a snack. This place IS.) Before heading to the event, I checked the website to confirm the location. I got the info I needed, but one of my first thoughts was, “This would be such a fun site to build. I wonder if they’re ready for a re-design…” After seeing all of the wonderfully-painted signage at the event, I knew the people behind it were going to be awesome. I contacted Robin, the supermom behind KidsFest, and the rest is history!

The KidsFest crew was a delight to work with, not to mention extremely organized! They provided a vector logo, color palette, font suggestions, professional photos, and dozens of icon illustrations, so they really made our job easy. We simply took their request for a “clean, kid-friendly website with big photos and a lot of white space” and made it a reality. The best part is, it’s a WordPress site, so they can easily update it on their own. We love the simple, bright layout, and hope your families do, too.

For more info about KidsFest, head over to their new site! www.kidsfestsandiego.com

We’re loving Define Bottle’s custom pattern in letterpress…More where this came from next week!

Business Card // Letterpress in Pantone 4625 U // Brown Chipboard Paper (22pt.) // Custom Die Cut

Hot off the press this week ::

Here is a letterpress business card we designed for Annie Alessio, who has just branched out on her own as a Real Estate Transaction Coordinator here in Del Mar. Inspiration for this equestrian-themed card comes from Annie’s love of animals and down-to-earth personality. The card not only commemorates her late horse “Chip,” but also nods to Del Mar’s favorite past-time: horse racing.

We love these inverse rounded corners…it gives the card that extra bit of personality but stays true to Annie’s simple, straightforward tastes.

Best of luck with your new business, Annie!

We’re excited to announce the official launch of Rachel Joyce’s new website! A British lawyer-turned-professional-triathlete, Rachel is an over-achiever in every sense of the word; lucky for us, her easy-going personality made the design process a fun and rewarding experience.

When Rachel approached us a couple months ago, she asked us to “keep the colours simple, the layout simple, and put [large] photos on the homepage.” (BTW // Can I add how gleefully entertained I was by her British spellings?!) Using her race kit by Betty Designs as inspiration, we went to work building her a simple, slightly feminine WordPress site she could easily and readily update on her own. Check it out…

To visit the website, go to www.racheljoyce.org.

Best of luck, Rachel, in all of your future athletic endeavors!!