Meet Stephnie ~ Studio Von

My journey so far…

Six years ago, after almost two decades of working in big branding and graphic design agencies in Melbourne and the birth of my son, I made a decision to launch my own design business to give me more flexibility as a mum and be one on one with clients.

The doors opened and the clients came.

I had such a wealth of knowledge and strong industry experience it was great to use this to help smaller businesses and start-ups grow and succeed. In particular, those businesses who couldn’t afford the big upfront payments for branding and design that agencies typically charge.

Two years ago, I moved from Melbourne to Bendigo.

Studio Von is relatively new after separating from a partnership with another designer in Melbourne mid last year.

Studio Von was inspired by my beautiful late Grandmother Veronica Croft who passed at the age of 102 during the time I exited the partnership. I wanted to honour her creativity, strength and spirit. There couldn’t have been a better choice.

I currently work from my home office. I am often out meeting face to face with my clients or heading to Melbourne for workshops or meetings.

Some of my clients include Madame Flavour Tea, Rudie Nudie Designs, Spooktober Melbourne, The Honest Food Company, Arundel Farm Estate and South Gippsland Wine. I also have a passion for interior design, and have extended my business into this area and am currently servicing a few clients in this field which I love.

My aim for every client is to help grow market share and engage the consumer through conceptual thinking and visual story telling.

I like to provide a fresh and unique approach to ensure the outcome perfectly encompasses your unique brand and needs. I know the importance of a great concept, standing out and remaining relevant – I see the benefits of this all of the time as I watch a business start or transform with my help.

QUICK FIVE

When I face a big challenge… I get creative! I use the adrenalin and stress that can present itself and start thinking and drawing! My creative space is my saviour.

The most courageous thing I’ve done in business… Start my own and be confident in my ability. So far, it’s worked!

The best piece of advice I’ve been given… If you have a passion or a skill, don’t be afraid – use it, create the burn inside, be confident in it.

My favourite business tool/resource/book/podcast is… Inspirational material. I’m always being inspired around me by architecture, other designers, illustrators. I collect reference material that often is the catalyst for a great design or new idea for a client. I spent time time looking at Pinterest, Instagram and Designspiration.

Social media shout out… I love logoinspirations, design milk, popandpac, swear words

Brand is more than just a logo

You should never be just a logo as a logo is not a brand. It’s a part of a brand and at that a very important part. But it doesn’t end there.

A brand is created in the consumers mind and ultimately built up by many facets.

The perception of your brand is influenced by so many factors including the product itself, your tone of voice, your website, the look and feel of your social media accounts, your marketing material and finally things that are felt but not seen – brand experience, customer interaction, the list can go on.

In terms of design, it’s important to define all of these areas to create a visual ‘tool kit’ for the application of your logo and the roll out of your brand.

Complimentary colours, textures, typography and, importantly, different logo versions to suit different brand applications. Black and white, full colour, reversed, a lock up version, etc.

Consistency is key for brand recognition so everything must be considered and ultimately tie together and work in harmony to create one unique, powerful story for your brand. These are called brand assets.

Once the logo has been created something that can also be considered are secondary communication devices. They are created to work hard to define your point of difference or to tell the consumer the important facts about your brand. These usually come in the form of iconography. A simple tag line doesn’t necessarily do the whole job.

I never supply a client with ‘just a logo’ but instead a series of curated pieces that build with each another to create your individual story.