by Nicole Dennis Durnin | Branding is an important aspect of any business.  It’s your client’s first impression of you, and it’s how they will connect with you on an emotional level. Branding is the sum of logos and colours and the look and feel of the store, and also the perceptions and experiences of your clients. The client experience is an aspect of the brand that I’m confident Lynn Steven will excel at. Developing the rest of the elements is where I’ve called in the experts.

I worked on the current Lynn Steven logo for several months with a local branding and marketing firm, going through a number of different options. I was happy with the final outcome and started to brand Lynn Steven using the logo we developed. Of course there are people that love the logo and some that don’t.  Those that like it can see in it the feeling we were trying to evoke – that of a wrought iron “L” and “S” intertwined.  Those that don’t like it tell us that the symbol reminds them of a prominent fashion company’s logo, or even of a dollar sign. Initially I took the criticism in stride and thought that since I had spent a fair amount of money developing the logo, I was sticking with it.

After signing the lease for 225 Carrall Street I took a step back and realized changes were in order. It was clear the branding was not reflective of the space or of Gastown in general. The pink, especially, had to go, but I thought that the current logo could work. I’m not sure why I chose pink as I am not particularly girly-girl, I just wanted to give a feminine feel to the branding and nothing screams femininity like pink.

Recently I’ve been working closely with MGB Architecture, not only on the design of the physical space but also on revising the branding and logo for Lynn Steven.  After many discussions with MGB we decided to take the branding in a different direction, one with a much stronger relationship to the design of the space and with Gastown itself.  Gastown has a very unique feel to it, it’s where Vancouver was born, it has a distinct architecture, and a vibe and feeling unlike any other neighbourhood in the city.  The last thing I want is for Lynn Steven to look like it was airlifted in from Yaletown.

You are likely to see some changes to the Lynn Steven website and Twitter page over the next few weeks as we make the transition to our new branding for Lynn Steven.  I’m sure not everyone will love it – I’ve learned that much through this experience – but as long as I feel that it’s reflective of the store, and will complement the neighborhood, the residents and surrounding businesses, the haters will just have to live with it.

Meanwhile, the paper on the windows is finally up! We are on our way and I think it may just now be sinking in that I will be the owner of my own store. Now it feels official, and there is no turning back. Over the past few months people would ask “Aren’t you excited?” and I was, but for some reason I knew we were not quite there yet. But I’m excited now! Next step, demolition!

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