Getting Inspired at the Brand New Conference

The Brand New Conference is a two-day event on corporate and brand identity with some of today’s most active and influential practitioners from around the world. It took place at Chicago’s very own Harris Theatre on September 21st and 22nd. It was my third Brand New in Chicago; I’ve also traveled to New York City, Las Vegas, and Austin to attend.

I always leave feeling so inspired by the bold and insightful keynote-style presentations of 20+ brand designers and experts.

Five messages that stood out to me from the conference included that influenced this creative exploration:

1. We get paid to care and we have to choose carefully what to care about. - Pali Palavathanan

2. Sometimes the greatest restraints lead to the greatest creativity. Disadvantages are your edge. - Emunah Winer & Margaret Kerr-Jarrett

3. Passion is the only thing you cannot teach. - Diego Guevara

4. We are not selling products and services, but are selling identity. - Mark Kingsley

5. You have the most fun and make the best work with people you like on projects that you care about. - Katrina Romulo

I was also reminded to chase what is enjoyable to me and put out the work that I genuinely want to be making. While I am no stranger to passion projects, it’s been a while since I’ve done a hypothetical rebrand project, simply for the fun of it. This case study showcases a bit of my creative process, passion for branding, and the exact work that I want to be doing more of.

Why rebrand Ms. Jetsetter?

I’ve known Ms. Jetsetter’s owner, Tracey McGhee, since 2019 when she won a brand consultation session that I had donated to a small conference we both attended in Chicago. We reconnected a couple years later after we separately went through the WBDC’s TopShelf Retail program. As a result of participating in that program, Tracey sells her travel accessories in Walgreens across Chicago. We’ve remained business friends ever since, so I didn’t have to shop around when I needed to upgrade my travel makeup bag.

Every purchase you make is a vote for what you want to see more of in the world. I love supporting fellow woman-owned businesses through both my work and my personal purchases. I recently purchased this Ms. J Travel Trio | 3-in-1 Travel Accessory Set and I recommend it if you’re in the market for some upgraded travel accessories that are stylish and functional.

Shar Biggers of Saleah shared a powerful presentation at the Brand New Conference that highlighted the importance of supporting POC designers and agencies. Her words inspired me to pick this existing brand within my network that I wanted to highlight with love (and some fun designs).

Reimagining a Lifestyle Travel Accessories Brand

My main goals with this rebranding exploration were to have fun, channel my creativity and passion, and not overthink things. I started by reviewing the items I received with my recent purchase and taking another close look at the website to get inspired.

My process was similar to many of my branding project (minus some more intensive research and client conversations). I sat down and sketched potential logo concepts, moved my favorites onto my iPad, and finished up a small handful of concepts in Adobe Illustrator. From there, I played around with some new color and type options and even developed some additional elements and potential collateral pieces.

What I kept in mind this entire project was just going with the flow and keeping things fun. I didn’t allow myself to get too caught up in the little details.

For the colors, I focused on the idea of flying through the sky on a perfectly sunny afternoon with some light clouds. I expanded the palette to include a larger array of colors from the original pink and teal of the existing branding.

While the blues serve as the primary colors, I also loved the idea of developing a set of vibrant color duos to represent each of the seasons throughout the year. I picked pink and purple for the spring, gold and orange for the summer, and greens for the fall. Cycling through these colors throughout the seasons could help keep the brand fresh throughout the year.

I also felt inspired to reimagine the thank you card included with my order. This was an opportunity to bring in more of the cloud and sky concept and focus on the lifestyle aspect of the brand. Tracey has visited over 30 countries and I know her customers (like myself) share a similar love and passion for traveling and seeing the world.

I reimagined the piece from feeling purely promotional to showcasing some shared values that Tracey and her customers have with a bold design on one side. I envision customers saving these pieces and hanging them somewhere in their home or office.

Naturally, I got carried away with variants and the possible messages that this piece could communicate. I am always looking to get more strategic with my clients’ marketing materials and strive to create something that their customers will value and keep.

I’ve found that making art-forward marketing pieces leads to greater longevity (i.e. people will actually keep them) and starts great conversations. When I attend in-person networking events and conferences, I bring a stack of my art cards and allow people I meet to pick out their favorite design. It makes networking more fun and has led to so many interesting conversations that connect to the messages shared within the artwork.

In the spirit of playing and having fun, I created a few examples of illustrations that could support the brand and even an airplane pattern.

Here’s a peek into some of my favorite concepts that I worked on for this fun reimagining of Ms. Jetsetter. What I enjoyed most about this project is that I kept things fun and simple.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this project! Drop a comment below or send me a note.

If you are a small business owner looking for a rebrand, I would love to chat with you! Reach out here to get the conversation started and see if we are good fit. You can explore more of my branding work here.

Find Ms. Jetsetter at:
msjetsetter.com, on Facebook @msjetsetter, & on Instagram @msjbrand, as well as in Walgreens Stores.