About The Explore More Logo

I honestly had no idea how much work went into creating a logo, but a lot of work should go into a logo because it is so important.  It is the visual representation of a brand, and I knew I wanted the Explore More logo to be special. Many people use an online service to create a logo so that they have something to put on their business card, but I wanted much more than that – I have big ideas for my logo!  I wanted a personal understanding of my objectives for my brand and an interest in what I am trying to achieve with my business. There is only one person that I would trust with this task, and it is my friend Cari at Clark Creative Design in Savannah, GA.  Cari and her team took a lot of interest in my business and not only created a beautiful logo but gave me creative guidance along the way.

My priorities for the logo were a family friendly design with a focus on culture.  There were many revisions and adjustments. The original idea was to marry the letters with the cultural items, but “explore more” was getting lost in the art, and I wanted it to pop.  I want those who can not travel but who have a curiosity about the world to follow my business and always be encouraged to “explore more”. I want those not traveling with their family, but who want to see the world to use my business to “explore more”.  Thus, we decided to separate “explore more” from the cultural items. The art would accompany the words, but how?

After researching many types of logos, it was decided that the art would be contained in a sphere shape, much like a globe, and that multiple cultures would be represented through custom art. I wanted places on my bucket list represented, as well as places I feel connected.  I wanted to represent travel destinations like London and vacation destinations like Hawaii. I wanted the things that I seek out during travel to be represented. I also wanted items you need while traveling to be sprinkled in. A list of custom art ideas was submitted, and the artist would decide which items would fit the overall design.  I really had no idea what to expect, but I was blown away by what I received. It really is a piece of art that also meets my objectives of being culturally focused and kid friendly.

It includes everything I wanted …

Next, I needed to decide on a font.  I love fonts that look like they were written in marker.  Couple that with the fact that my kids actually love drawing with markers, and I knew that my family friendly brand needed a marker font that focused on my main objective – to ‘explore more’!  I used a smaller font for ‘family travel’ because even though it is my niche, it is not what my brand is about – my brand is about exploration! I tied everything together by choosing a font used throughout my website for the words ‘family travel’.

I feel like the text part of the logo can stand alone if necessary, and I appreciate that my logo can be divided into two separate parts, the art and the words.  But together, they are a thing of beauty!

I realized one day that my logo reminds me of the “It’s a Small World After All” ride at Disney World, which is not what I had intended, but is actually perfect!  I loved that ride long before I started traveling internationally, and I like to think that ride is part of the reason that I am so enamored by other cultures. I was fascinated by the way the children were dressed, the types of activities they were participating in, and the architecture and animals that surrounded them.  I wondered about how children in other parts of the world lived. As the ride ends, goodbye is written in many languages and I was amazed at how many ways people communicate across the globe. I still have this sense of wonder about the world, and it is represented beautifully in my logo.

I thought that once I had my logo, I would be good to go, but there is still work to do to incorporate it on my site, in my email signatures, in my print materials, etc.  I will be working on that in the next few days and will hopefully have it on my website soon, but for now, I wanted to introduce it because I am so excited!

As far as the big ideas I mentioned at the beginning, I would love to see my logo on products, but as a small business owner, I have to remember to not get ahead of myself.  As a “solopreneur”, I have to take it one day at a time, but it is fun to dream big!