"The Confidential" Prompts Full Re-Brand for the Studios of Liga Photography

It is always with great joy that we celebrate the growth and success of our friends and colleagues here at 2u Creative of 2u Collection LLC.  Most recently we have taken great pride in an opportunity presented to us by long time friend and business associate Abby Liga of Liga Photography, as she moves forward in her most anticipated venture yet - The Confidential.

As we applaud all of those involved and eagerly anticipate what is yet to develop, we take a moment to share and reflect on the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into the project thus far...

As we began conceptualizing here at 2u Creative, we found ourselves delving a bit deeper into the Liga brand, beyond the idea of The Confidential alone.  Abby discussed with us the need for 2 new additions to her brand, a workshop division & commercial division.  In our initial design and development it became clear to us that things between the already established brand pieces and these new pieces were beginning to look mismatched.  Exploring this notion sparked a full re-branding campaign for Liga Photography and all divisions... with purpose of course.  They key is to be mindful of building a cohesive brand by looking at the elements and how they work TOGETHER, rather than building divisions separately and hoping they fit.  

Having worked on branding for Abby Liga of Liga Photography for many years, we have a true love for the brand and take pride as we graduate this brand to match the evolution of it's refinement.  We thank Abby for her testimonial and expressed gratitude:

"When I came to Amy about helping me create a brand for The Confidential workshop I knew she was going to come up with something amazing far beyond what I thought it could be. And much to my surprise it prompted full re-brand integration for all my divisions. We couldn't be happier with the refined versions of other divisions and as you can see below, The Confidential fits right in!

We are more than thrilled to bring you the fresh new color palette for Liga Photography showcased in the 5 separate, but cohesive logos presented below... and make sure to keep an eye out on the 2u Creative Blog as we will be introducing additional marketing pieces for the Liga campaign, enjoy!

Wedding Division Brand

Portrait Division Brand 

Commercial Division Brand

Workshop Division Brand

Blog Brand

Now a little peek at a few of the logos placed together for some insight on how to cohesively fit multiple divisions under a unified brand campaign.  Simply Refined!

Little did we know that The Confidential would spark this fabulous re-brand - To stay up to date with all of The Confidential secrets, make sure to  "like" the official Confidential Facebook page for full access, not-to-miss dates, photos, videos & more!!

And one last teaser as we invite you to watch & read more about The Confidential below!! 

A Workshop from the studios of Liga Photography - The Confidential: Illuminating Truth & Passion -  will take a fresh and intimate approach that is sure to set it apart from the typical educational workshop.  Those attending will experience a tailored, individualized approach while also delighting in the benefits of group expression and critique.  We could go on... however we have partnered with Jeffery Stoner Video to create a most fantastic teaser and invite you to view a glimpse of Miss Abby Liga as she exposes the intrigue behind The Confidential.

Also check out The Confidential website in progress at ligaconfidential.com - Stay tuned to the 2u Creative Blog June 1st as we will be sure to announce & feature the launch!

Harmony Belle - Let Us Launch!!

Long Awaited and Patiently Anticipated... We are enthused to announce that Harmony Belle is LIVE and ONLINE!

You may have browsed through the temptations of this flirty boutique as we have been flaunting sneak peeks to our readers for the past few months. We promised you'd be the first to get word of the official launch... and ladies... it's finally time to stop "window shopping"! 

Take a look below for a snapshot of the site as we congratulate Jennifer Morial-Kalina on her break-out boutique.

 ~Insider Incentive~

Likes = Love at the Harmony Belle Facebook Page

Deals, Drawings, Dollars and More!

Don't hesitate to visit Harmony Belle's Online Boutique, we have a feeling these fabulous wardrobe collections are gonna fly and trust us when we say you won't want to miss out on pieces that pop! Browse new arrivals, delicate dresses, tantalizing tops, blissful bottoms and an array of jewels and accessories!!  

We at 2u Creative would like to extend special gratitude to Liga Photography along with Shannon Stewart & Laura Kirkpatrick of America's Next Top Model for playing a key role in making these pieces come to life.

Harmony Belle Fashion Shoot - Sneak a Peek!

Bubbling with anticipation here at 2u Creative as we continue to finalize branding for an exciting new client, Harmony Belle! For the past few months we have been working on brand development for the boutique, from creation to full on execution and the process is coming along beautifully. In our most recent engagement we acted as art director for a fabulous photo shoot done by Liga Photography. How about a behind the scenes look?.... Maybe more!? 

 

Founder and Fashionary!

Delighted that Jennifer Morial-Kalina (Left) of Harmony Belle trusted us with these moments. 

Pictured Middle is Shannon Stewart and Abby Liga of Liga Photography is pictured right!

As an added bonus it was such a joy to have both Shannon Stewart (Center) and Laura Kirkpatrick of American' Next Top Model (AMTM) on set with us. The girls were just dolls! True talents, both models also appeared on America's Next Top Model Cycle 17 "ALL-STARS!" 

Face Check Fierce

Abby Liga of Liga Photography shoots Shannon Stewart of America's Next Top Model (ANTM), Cycle 1 Runner-Up.

Color POP! 

Who doesn't die for a killer accessory?! Finishing the look with pieces soon to be in your personal collection. Clean and polished.

A little Hair... A little Make-Up

Simone Rosas of Makeover Station enhancing the already stunning Laura Kirkpatrick of America's Next Top Model (ANTM), Cycle 13 Runner-Up.

The Racks! 

I've already called dibs on my piece... Jealous?! 

Now, in preparation for the Harmony Belle E-commerce site (which is almost completed... can't wait!) it's time for another Sneak Peek into this fun and fresh clothing boutique. Ladies, start your wish-list....

Site launches in July, SET THE DATE!

I just love Love LOVE this line! Unexpected colors and combinations creating fun, flirty sophistication. Soft or Bold, even a bit of both. What a great vision Harmony Bell. A real treat... reader's you will be the first to know about the official launch. Keep posted!

Follow Shannon and Laura on Twitter

@shannonstewart1 & @laura_allstar

The Importance of Branding & Advertising Part 2

Links to some branding projects I have worked on!! Please note, Liga Photography & CCH Marketing are exclusive partners of 2u Creative, so not only are they are clients, but they help us serve our clients with the best photography and marketing services around!!


CCH Marketing logo, collateral and web development


Liga Photography- Rebrand 3 years later
The Liga District - Adding onto and Integrating Brands
Liga Photography- Original Initial Branding Project


Pure Sugar Studios


Cleanse Bath & Body


Lavish Boutique


Part II- How to Get Started with Your Brand Development. In Part I, I blogged about why it is important to brand your company, now I want to discuss the question my clients, colleagues and friends seem to always want to know: HOW DO I GET STARTED. I am going to outline and discuss the steps I think are important in developing your company brand.

1. Research, Development & Creating a Plan: This is very important and lays the foundation for all of the following steps. Not only will it help you more easily develop your brand, it will build a strong foundation of principles and philosophies that will guide your company as it grows.

• Research- Look around. Research other companies: Who (as a company) do you aspire to be? Look at your successful colleagues. How do they market their companies? What about them causes you to seek them out? What is your competition doing? Speak to colleagues, both in your industry and outside of it, explain what you are trying to do, and get their feedback. As small business owners, we should all have colleagues/companies we aspire to be like. This helps us grow as individuals and businesses. It helps us approach our business with fresh eyes and new perspective. The hardest thing in my opinion about owning a business is stepping back; when you are too close to something it can be hard to see what's right in front of you.
  
  Be careful here; I am not in any way suggesting you copy your competition or fellow colleagues. You want your company to be unique and individual in its marketing and branding, but sometimes seeing how someone else approaches something will cause that genius idea to fall loose in your own mind.
  
• Development- Now that you have done some research it is time to dive into the development of your company. Ask yourself the following questions and write down your answers; this will help you further organize and grow your business structure and will also help you later when you sit down with a designer/studio. 
  
  Who are you as a company? Who do you want to be? What do you want for your business's future? What makes your company unique in comparison to the competition? Who is your market/customer base? What's the SINGLE most important message you want your potential customers/clients to understand about your company and its services from the first moment?
  Do you have colors, shapes, etc. in mind when you think of your company message?
  
• Create a Plan- Now that you have a better idea of who you are and where you want to go, answer these questions. 
  What is your Budget? I know this is tricky... but be realistic. When considering this question, keep in mind: "You DO get what you pay for." That goes for Design & Marketing Services, as with anything else. You have to pay for experience and knowledge. If you are serious about your brand development, you should pay for the experience and knowledge of a professional who will get you results.
  What is the scope? What does your company need? Consider the following: Company Tag Line, Logo & Stationery Design, Website, Collateral (brochures, newsletters, direct mail, postcards, etc), Advertising (print and internet), Press Kits or Presentation Packets for Publications and Potential or New Clients, Blog, E-Marketing, Trade Marking, etc. These are some suggestions of things you will need in order to successfully reinforce your brand.

2. Finding a Designer. Freelance vs. Small Design Studio: Now that you have a plan and a clear idea of what you are as a company and what you want to put out there, you need a designer or small design firm to get started on brand development. All of your answers to the questions in Step 1 will help you now because any knowledgeable and experienced Designer/firm will need them to properly develop your brand!

I'm going to give you some standard rates and some standard pros and cons to hiring a Freelancer vs. a Small Design Studio or Agency. To move forward and have your brand developed you're going to need a Graphic Designer. A lot of small businesses chose to use freelance graphic designers to save money. I have been a freelance designer, worked for a small firm/agency, and now own my own design studio, so I can provide perspectives from all sides.

• Freelance Graphic Designer, Writers and Marketing Professional- You can get a talented freelancer that can concept and design anything you need. The standard rates are $50-$85 per hour. This is dependent on the experience and talent of said designer. And most freelancers will work with you on their rate if you do more than one project with them. This can be the most affordable way for small business to create and develop a cohesive brand. The downside to this is that it's difficult to find a designer who has the experience and skills to help you with writing, strategy, marketing and design, and art direction. There are designers out there who are very talented and can do all of those things, but they are rare, and usually you will end up having to find freelance writers and marketing/PR professionals to work with the designer so that you can effectively complete everything involved. This can get expensive because each of these freelancers will have their own hourly rate. The other downside to this is you may end up with a group that hasn't worked together a lot which may add time to you projects and result in conflicting messages in your brand. CONSISTENCY IS VERY IMPORTANT in your messaging. This is where Small Design Studios and Firms blow freelancers out of the water.
  
• Small Design Studio/Firm- Often this is the route that makes most sense, because small design firms have a network of writers, strategists and marketing/PR professionals that they can call on and work with on a regular basis. The rates can be anywhere from $75-150/per hour. But again, most design firms will work with you on price if you are doing multiple projects with them. I have even given package project prices at significantly discounted hourly rates to both save my clients money, and ensure I have a contract for a few projects. The benefit to using a small firm that is you have a team that has worked together on many projects and each have their own expertise, which will often make your brand campaign more effective. It's hard for a designer/artist to effectively create strategy and write copy all while trying to create a look and design. So when you take this route, you have a team that will be top notch in each area instead of one person trying to do it all.

Don't choose the first person/firm you come across, but look at many firms to find the one that is right for you. Your designers, writers and marketing/pr professionals should be genuinely interested in your company, should want you to succeed, and should not just treat you like another job on their list. Follow your gut, and most of all beware of the artist with the large DIVA EGO... (I'm designer, I'm allowed to say it... a lot of us tend to become divas.) Make sure your team recognizes it's all about creating a brand campaign that works and fulfills its goal, not just creating art to create art. Don't get me wrong, it should look great and be extremely creative and even edgy.. BUT IT SHOULD ALWAYS PUT MESSAGE FIRST!
4. Work Closely with your Team Creating Artwork: Now that you have found and chosen an artist or team, trust them to do what they are good at. Take their recommendations and think them through. Remember, they have a fresh, objective perspective on your business. You may not always agree, and you may override their recommendations sometimes, which is okay. Just remember that this is their area of expertise, and they are professionals with experience and knowledge in this area. This is your company, however, so if you are ever opposed to a design or idea, speak your mind. But also remember you may be too close and might need to step back to fully consider their recommendation. Any professional designer or firm will find a compromise if you are completely opposed to something.
5. Practice What you Preach: Once you develop your brand and start putting your message out there, make sure that you practice what you preach. Your company must deliver on what it puts out there: Nothing works against your brand more than not delivering on what you're selling.

I hope you enjoyed.. Below is a testimonial from one of my clients who came to me for integration of her several divisions. And be sure to stay tuned, we are developing a new look for our website, so we've taken down the old and have a teaser up to entice you.




A Testimonial from Susan Southerland with Just Marry: (we've been working to re-brand her company for the last year) Amy has such a keen eye for brand imaging. Recently, I have had to develop three logos which fall under the same brand. Amy was able to make each logo convey its own message and they all coordinated beautifully. Brand recognition is so important for success these days. It is very important to have a graphic artist who understands your company vision to create these images. Amy just gets it!

For more information or help with developing your company brand, contact me.

Thanks for reading! 

Look What's new for Liga!

One of our favorite clients, who has been with us now for around 4 years is Liga Photography. When Abby Liga first came to me, she had 1 division and was trying to figure out what would set her apart from the MILLIONS, (and yes, I mean millions) of other wedding photographers in the business.


So the project began, and as the years have passes, Abby has added another division, The Liga District, for all of her non wedding and corporate clients.


Abby has trusted me with her logo revamping, new logo designs for both the district and her blog The Inner Circle. Full Creative Direction and Writing of all of her collateral from Website to brochures, to promos and much more!

But since it's been 3 years since we focused on the Liga Photography Wedding Brand, we decided it was time for an upgrade. So we started with this Editorial Style Magazine Piece, a promo card and business cards. We created an Updated design with the style and Flare that matches and compliments Abby's shooting style! You can see by some of the past work we've done for her, we kept the brand continuity but just refreshed it to reflect her professional, more experienced shooting style! And let's not forget Props to our dear friends Lawton Printers. For as always making the work amazing with a high quality print job!

Through all of this, we are happy to not only call Abby and her team at Liga Photography and The Liga District one of our favorite clients, but also Abby is one of my dearest friends.


Here are some links to some past things I've done for her!


The Liga District Brand and Integration.
Liga Photography Original Brand Development
Bridal Gifts

Welcome Welcome!!

As many of you know I am a person who wears many hats! As many of you know, I have many many years of experience Directing Creative Work in the Advertising & Marketing field.. 6 years ago, feeling restless I branched out and started 2u Collection, LLC. 


Today, 2u Collection, LLC. houses 3 divisions.(see below for descriptions) 
One of these is 2u Creative, once fellow vendors, clients and colleagues discovered my vast experience in advertising and marketing, they put me to work!! So about 5 years ago I added a Marketing & Advertising Division.


And yes, I'm bad... it took me this long to get a blog going for it.  Please check back, visit us often I will share all kinds of Marketing & Branding Strategies, as well as sneak peeks into what we are currently working on.


The 2u Collection™ is a full-service national design studio, specializing in Custom Designed Invitations. At The 2u Collection we believe creativity allows us to offer you inspiring designs, tailored to your unique style and vision. We understand you want your invitation, just like your wedding, to be a reflection of your unique personality and style.  The 2u Collection takes our services a step further. We can create and produce any printed item one might need for a wedding – from the church program, to the guest book, to the table settings and place cards. And will coordinate everything to match the style and feeling of your elegant event. Visit us at www.2uCollection.com.

Paper Couture Stationery™ is a distinguished stationery line of imaginative LIMITED EDITION, READY-MADE paper creations.

From the studios of The 2u Collection and Liga Photography comes an amazing collaboration in paper and art! Sharing passions for style, fashion and great design, Amy Morelli and Abby Liga have combined forces. Years of experience creating custom stationery and capturing breathtaking imagery made Amy and Abby want to bring their personal style and design to this exciting new line of ready-made stationery for all occasions. 

Paper Couture Stationery features the finest custom stationery for the discerning budget. And everything is limited edition, meaning every 6 months we will retire the designs and all new designs will take their places for that custom feeling. So the design you chose will be sold to a select few and then retired.  So you can rest assured that your design is limited for your special day. 2ucouture.com

2u Creative, With more than 20 years of combined marketing and advertising experience, we are confident that we can provide quality results ensuring client satisfaction, as our clients and the quality of our products are our top priority. We passionately believe in the power of ideas to differentiate, to motivate, and to change the world for the better. And because we pride ourselves on exceptional work and results, you can rest assured your business will benefit greatly from our work. 2ucreative.net