We are excited to announce that we’ve been slowly working on redeveloping a new brand for the business. A business that means everything to us, because providing value for our clients means everything to us.
This new look is a byproduct of our new name—Inspired Studio. Which happens to be a byproduct of the evolution of the team and services we’re providing to our clients.
We welcome you to read the story below to learn more about the evolution, creative process, and shall we say “inspiration” behind it all.
The meaning
In my experience, one’s business is a reflection of one’s self.
My childhood and early adult life was spent in a third-generation family restaurant. It still is a business run by my parents, who are relentlessly proud of serving the community. They are serving not just a meal, but a place for camaraderie, friendships, stories, relaxation, and laughter. My grandfather always told my father, who always told my sisters and I: We treat everyone who comes in here the same, whether it’s the president or our neighbor. Service has been part of every day of my life. My entire adult life was dedicated to learning, developing, and using my skills of creative thinking and graphic design—the one thing I seemed to be best at. When I chose the field of study, a friend of mine said “why would you want to be a graphic designer, they’re a dime a dozen?” I’m so glad I didn’t listen to them.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, to inspire means to fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
People inspire me, they always have. Their dreams, their stories, their passions, their motivation, the way they act on their ideas and the difference they make in the world. Their unrelenting ability to always find their center, their true north, and keep trudging on, no matter the challenges—not just in business, but in life. Every single person possesses this drive, somewhere deep inside, whether they know it or not. No matter who I meet, more often than not I’m able to see something in them and wonder if they see it too. I wonder if they’re happy. I wonder if they’re listening to their hearts, acting on the thing that brings them the greatest joy. And wonder if they’ve turned that passion into a career that offers at least a little bit of financial benefit. And if they’re not, I wonder why. What’s holding them back? Societal pressures? Self-doubt? Lack of confidence? Maybe a lack of introspection, not even knowing their passion.
That’s why, when I decided to turn my passion into a business—when I merged my life of service with my skill for design—I chose the word “inspired.” It was the one and only thing that made the most sense in terms of reflecting my true passion and drive. And so, pairing it with my trained skill of graphic design, the rest followed: Design Studio.
For the last 6 years, I’ve honed my skills, sharpened my ability to listen, and stepped outside of my comfort zone more times than I’m even aware. I’ve helped entrepreneurs and marketing directors creatively work through challenges large and small, for short periods of time and consistently for years. I’ve welcomed the challenge of adding services to my list, offering an even wider range of services to help entrepreneurs continue to monetize their passions. Through this evolution of change and growth, “design” didn’t seem to cut it. Sure, it has been and will continue to be a very pivotal piece of the services offered, but I’ve come to the realization that it is limiting in terms of the greater scope of results generated from partnering with clients.
The team has grown to include specialists in the areas of social media management, web development, videography, photography, illustration, copy writing, and marketing strategy. Graphics are not the only thing constantly being designed at Inspired. The list includes marketing plans, buyer personas, brand messaging, meaningful content, internal communication strategies, website experience, brand awareness, social media calendars, and the list goes on. No two businesses are identical—their leaders, strengths, and challenges all differ, so there is no one way to tell their story.
So while “design” is at the core of what we do, we’ve removed it from the name. Inspired Design Studio is now Inspired Studio. This change more accurately represents the ever-evolving, ever-improving work created by our growing team of constantly inspired, passionate creatives. They continue to amaze me in their willingness to serve using their unique talents.
The look
With a new name came a new logo. The logomark was inspired by one word: INSPIRE. In their simplest, linear form, stacking each letter directly on top of the others creates the shape of our new logomark. Simple, memorable, meaningful. True indicators of a strong image.
We’re introducing serif typography in the new logo, where some letters are fragmented to show evolution and change, a feeling of incompleteness but also a feeling of leaving room for air. It leaves room for creativity, ideas, possibility and constant feeling of newness.
The colors are black, white and grey. Not because we don’t like color, quite the contrary. We love and respect the science of color. Color, in fact, is a reflection of light. The color of white light is a reflection of every color perfectly combined. An absence of light is darkness—darkness is black. Metaphorically, we are everything and nothing, and anything in-between needed by our clients. Our clients are the reason we are here, the focus of our efforts, the subject of our spotlight. In this business, it is not about us. Nothing we do is for us. This is a business of service, of giving, of inspiring. We do what we do best so others can shine brightly, attracting their ideal customer.
The beginning
No matter how much time has passed, I always look to each day as a new beginning in business. A new day to learn, to listen, to serve, and to make a difference… with the possibility of doing it in new valuable ways. I’m excited to continue to serve, in whatever capacity I am called to, alongside an incredible team under the name Inspired Studio.
🖤 Maria Conigliaro Traino, President/Creative Director