Stay Sharp

As you may have noticed, we design for a lot of women business owners. It’s nothing intentional – just sort of how it works out. And while we LOVE designing for the ladies, we are apt to break out into spontaneous dance when we get the chance to create a new brand for one of the guys. It’s important to challenge our talents and creating more masculine brand identities is one way we get to do that. So, when Joseph Abenhaim contacted us for a new masculine, high-end look for his photography business, we jumped danced at the chance. But, this wasn’t just a design challenge, it was a complete brand makeover, including name development.

The naming process was a total team effort between Joe, Ashley, and Tyrie. We started by having Joe create a list of words and phrases that describe him and his work. Joe is quite a dynamic individual, so this list included everything from “goofy” (we love it when clients don’t take themselves too seriously) to “high-tech.” However, it was Joe’s love of a “modern, sharp” aesthetic that caught Tyrie’s eye. We started playing with the idea of “Joe Sharp” and a few different variations. Ashley then started exploring the design possibilities of the suggested concepts and was very drawn to the idea of “sharp” and suggested the “One Sharp Joe” name. It didn’t take long for Joe to jump onboard with this idea and the design team ran with it.

This was an instance where the name really drove the design. We always strive to maintain consistency throughout a brand identity, and this one came together seamlessly. It just leant itself so easily to Joe’s vision for his new brand. It is modern, edgy, witty, and, yes, SHARP! Everything, from the primary logo to the pattern designs, works in harmony with one another. We think this brand is going to give Joe an edge (can’t resist) in his market and serve him for years to come.