Business branding is graphic design work that I am trained to do and enjoy working on immensely. Helping a business define or refine their branding is satisfying because a logo is often the first impression a business makes, even before clients/customers delve into its products and/or services. My earliest experience observing a small business at work centers on my parents’ business, Winters Masonry, Inc. My parents, Doug and Padie, started the business over three decades ago when my dad finished his professional training and licensing as a brick mason and masonry contractor, and they have gradually built something rooted in their strengths and skill sets. Every day, they work together to provide custom and commercial services focused on brick, block and stone.

Early on in the business, my mom came up with the letterhead suite. Bricks were a visually appealing way to showcase one of my dad’s specialties: things built out of bricks (e.g., walls and fireplaces). Two rows of red bricks stacked on one another stretched across the business card, etc., with the words “Winters Masonry” floating in a thick black font just above. In recent years, it became evident that the branding could benefit from an update. A skilled graphic designer by that time, I came up with a logo mark that would tie in with the two rows of bricks and become the symbol of the stable business my parents have built over time. A trowel is one of the main tools I associate with the work my dad does. I did many sketches and ended up stacking and adjusting the W and M (i.e., the first letters in “Winters” and “Masonry,” respectively) in such a way that a trowel silhouette appeared within the negative space between the letters. My parents were very happy the new business branding managed to be more contemporary and representative of the business without losing the original visual statement.