Vintage Store Logo System

I just finished a logo system for a store I thought up. Vintage stores are doing well in this current economic climate and I wanted to put my spin on a store. I came up with a store called Second Chances and New Romances. It's a vintage clothing store that sells primarily sells 1950s wear but not just retro threads. The also sell clothing made today using vintage patterns and recycled/retro fabrics, such as table cloths and drapery from the era. I like this intermixing of yesterdays' clothing in a modern setting and kept this in mind when I was working on the logo below.

3-Color Logo

Above is the logo. After going through a lot of retro type faces I decided on a script. I was inspired by the Beverly Hills Hotel logo which is retro yet not kitchy. It has a class feel. I chose the button as the icon because it represents vintage clothing. Add a new button, a new bow---make it new. Twinkles were added for nostalgia. The colors are feminine, pink, and green was chosen as its a complement and as an echo of the 'avocado' appliances available during the era. Instead of black I used a deep chocolate brown to keep the button warm and retro (as if a sepia photograph, faded with time).

Letterhead System

I designed this system with the idea that getting a letter from this store shouldn't feel corporate or like a bill. I wanted opening an envelope to feel like a letter from an old friend or your favorite aunt. With this I kept the stationary pages simple and white to make them modern, although I added the twinkles from the first to the second page (to add consistency to the system). The envelope is the first thing a receiver feels. I chose a pink #10 manila envelope (like the ones available through Paper Source) because it was feminine and retro. It reminded me of the manila envelopes used before e-mail for inter-office memos (think Mad Men). I added printed buttons to the brackets and pink embroidery thread to tie it together. The pink thread matches the thread on the button.

Business Card

The business card is in a portrait layout (detail above, ignore the one on the letterhead spread, it's an old version). I placed the logo at the top and the information centered below it. I envisioned the button as the face and the text as the flowing hemline below it. The circular mailing label brings the buttons from the envelope around the edges. The circular shape is softer, echos the shape of the button, and the buttons make it feel like a doilee (check that spelling?) underneath a tray of sweets.



These two images back up the front and back of the hang tag. Picture a line of clothing all with little green buttons on their sleeves! The front is full brightness and the back is ghosted to add contrast with the name, size and price. I differentiated the sides so that it's easy to find the copy information. The button tag is affixed to the garment with brass safety pin and pink embroidery thread (same as the envelope).
The final piece of collateral is the shopping bag. It's 16" wide, a foot high and 6" deep--perfect size for a dress. The front has a simple design of the logo, the side panels have the strawberry/watermelon pink, and the back has a wallpaper of green buttons. I went with this combination because it advertises the company, is modern (with the repeated button), and catchy.

I presented this system last Monday to my class as my final. I set up all my boards and mocked up the tag and the bag in addition to bringing in ribbons, my sewing box, a mirror, heels, and some make-up to create a scene. A classmate of mine took a picture so I hope to post it soon!