I found the sketch phase of the project arguably the most challenging, mostly because I wanted to find a concept that actually meant something to me. I went through tons and tons of ideas before realizing that the name and idea would come together more naturally if I made it personal. That’s how Blue Hound Publishing was created. I have a 16 year old hound dog at home named Mickey, and I’ve always admired how loyal, loving, and patient he is. Hounds are also known for their strong sense of smell and instinct for tracking; that idea of “sniffing out the next great story” became the core of my concept and helped guide the brand’s voice and visuals.

When it came to designing the logo, I wanted to combine the image of a blue hound with something that clearly represented publishing. After a few different sketches, I landed on the idea of using negative space to form an open book in the dog’s collar. I loved how subtle it is, but also how much meaning it carried once you noticed it. I showed it to some friends just to make sure it was noticeable enough, and got some feedback from them. It took a lot of trial and error to get the shapes to feel smooth and balanced, but once it clicked, the design started to feel cohesive and intentional.

For my typeface, I ended up going with Lato, mostly because it’s versatile, modern, and has a ton of different weights that make it easy to establish hierarchy. It also has a clean, trustworthy look that I felt fit well with my company.

The brand guide itself took a while to refine, especially when it came to layout and color. I wanted a repeatable format so it felt like a professional brand guide. Rather than sticking too many things on one page, I gave each idea its own page. Putting everything together helped me understand how much design relies on consistency and negative space. I also found that once I had the logo and voice figured out, the rest of the pieces started falling into place easily. Overall, I’m proud of how this project came together. Blue Hound Publishing feels personal, professional, and represents my creativity well. The process definitely pushed me to think deeper about how design choices connect to meaning, and I feel like this brand reflects my style and my story.