Written by: Melissa Noyes
In our quest to make Catalyst really unique, one of our main concerns was a logo. We wanted something that showcased who we are, highlighted the essence of what we’re doing….something memorable, something awesome….something…..well, something that we couldn’t create on our own.
Then Kristin stumbled upon some new (and awesome) branding for the Indy Food Co-op done by a firm called CODO Design.
A quick email led to a meeting over coffee with Isaac Arthur and Cody Fague, which led to an even quicker realization that these were exactly the kind of people who Kristin and I had envisioned working with. It was apparent from the get-go that Isaac and Cody were passionate and committed Millennials (just like us!), they possessed a social consciousness that jived really well with Catalyst’s mission, and they had a unique “hands-on branding” process that involved a ton of client collaboration (CO-DOing with CODO? You betcha!) We were so excited to get to work!
Fast forward a few weeks. After a few conversations about Catalyst’s mission, vision, and values and the sharing of our business and strategic plans, we sat down for something really unique—Mood Boarding. Mood Boarding is something that is really novel to the field as it embraces a client-centered and collaborative process…and it’s a big part of CODO’s ”Hands-on Branding.” I’m confident that this is something that we wouldn’t have found anywhere else.
So what exactly is Mood Boarding? Isaac and Cody used what we had given them to create 3 very unique brand “essences” which were each translated visually into separate collages. Our group was then able to take the best parts of all three collages and create another unique collage….this became the brand essence for Catalyst X-Change, which was aptly named “Action Headquarters.”
The Mood Boarding process was empowering. We had played an active part in the creation of our brand essence and we were truly invested in the outcome. This process allowed us to really have a hand in the creation of both our branding essence and our logo design…it was ours, not just something that was patched together by a faceless intern at some large firm. As a result, we feel a real connection to our brand.
From there, Isaac and Cody turned “Action Headquarters” into a visually stunning logo. In fact, they hit our brand essence so exactly that a participant in one of our trainings drew almost exactly the same symbol when asked to visually represent a youth/adult partnership a few days before the logo was finalized.
One of the most amazing things about starting your own business is finding other young professionals who have embraced the same entrepreneurial spirit and have the same passion for their work. These guys know their stuff, are incredibly creative, and possess an intuitive knack for branding and marketing. Whether you’re a new business looking for first-time branding or an established business looking for a fresh face, CODO Design is worth sitting down with. You won’t be disappointed.
For more information about CODO, check out their website: www.cododesign.com
