Logos/branding/corporate identity ........ well it's my nursery actually

[Katymac]

I was talking to loopyredangel about logos & I have the following conundrum - can anyone help?

I'm a childminder running a business called "childminding@walnutcorner"

I'm hoping to open a nursery called "nursery@walnutcorner"

My childminding logo is a tree

My Walnut Corner logo is a walnut

The idea is that you would google & get "walnutcorner" with the walnut logo & then choose either childminding (tree logo) or nursery (need a logo) or eventually a nappy service or baby food or childrens parties (each with their own logo but using the walnut as a brand?)

Is this going to work? or should I ditch the tree & brand everything with just the walnut?

I really like the tree & did an enormous mosaic of it to go on the wall of my house

Thanks for reading - sorry to be so anal - any ideas?

BTW logos are on my profile (if you want to look)

Have you got the domain name Walnutcorner? Just checked it on the internet, someone has walnutcorner.co.uk, is it you? If not then register quick to get walnutcorner.com
You need to keep websites simple and effective, so instead of having a separate logo for everything, why not just have a big walnut when the website opens, but give all the options as nice text?

That'll be me (I do have both)

At least I thought I had .com

It should redirect to my site

Walnuts also have flowers & leaves but neither is particularily memorable

Katymac - I think that having a distinctive name for your childminding business is a good idea - it gives you a professional image - but be careful that you don't get too "corporate" as that can have the opposite effect to the image you ought to project. Parents will be much more concerned about the individual relationship you have with them and their child than your corporate image

Thanks - I do understand your point of view - I am concerned tho' that the future aspect of my empire () are connected

It's something I will have to think about

erm tree a little to obvious.... not something I would use. Very simple clean image ... even just using the words/part of letter/ing as the logo? I am a graphic designer so have been involved with the odd logo. Too many nursery/childminders use little hands/childrens lettering etc as a logo, I think that portrays unprofessional tacky image so steer clear of kiddy pics/images too.

How about a treehouse for the nursery?

just had a look at tree and logo.... are they just initial ideas or finished? depends on what and who your appealing to?

maybe tree or similar, in abstract/stylized? simpler the better. doesnt always have to be an obvious image or work.

The tree has been used for 4 yrs for childminding

I now have a ltd company "Walnut Corner" (primarily because I have a walnut tree in the corner of my garden & we are on the corner of the road)

The nut has been used for about 2 yrs and is I think a more apt logo

But I am unsure how to put it all together

Have the nut allergy people stayed away from you! Sorry!

I ask the same as others why a walnut tree? however tree is a very good symbol and please do stay away from the "little sticky hands" logos.

You need to choose one logo and stick with this across the whole company. You do not have a high enough profile to be able to brand part of your businesses with different logos and identities unless you specifically want to keep the different parts seperate in peoples minds. Think of all the big brands - they generally retain the same branding across all their groups. The obvious one that does not fit in with this is John Lewis & Waitrose but their stores do reflect each other in some of their branding eg plastic bags.

yes - they stay well away on my advise

The name came from the name of my house see below (walnut tree in garden)

I see what you mean about size - I guess the Walnut might be the way to go (anyone want a 3ft square mosaic of a tree?)

The walnut looks a bit fuzzy...

here is an idea have the walnut designed in a similiar style to the tree but somehome have which branch of the business it is incorporated in the logo - perhaps following around the bottom of the nut IYSWIM that way you retain the corporate identity but can identify whichbit you are dealing with nappy or childminding or nursery and somewhere you ould have all the walnuts lined up...

That's a really good idea

I'll have a think about it

Only thing is it won't look good on a tshirt will it

But that might be the least of my problems

The more I think about that - the more I like it

A cartoon walnut with XXX@ curved along the top & walnutcorner curved along the bottom

I think it will be fine on a t-shirt

looking into it

what I want is a logo that I can change the writing on

So each time I get an idea I can create an immediate logo (iyswim)

Katymac - are you sure that parents would want their children to wear a t-shirt with your logo on?

No - but I will want my staff too

OK, I understand, the t-shirts would be for the staff, not the children.

I still feel a bit funny about this corporate branding stuff for a nursery... were I to leave my child in childcare I'd want her to have a relationship with a person/people, not a brand

No worries I would too (that's why I childmind)

However when I'm off out to banks asking for loans of £180K and negociating leases and getting publicity - I need to be warm & cuddly and slick and professional at the same time - it makes me a little two faced - but I hope my parents know me well enough to see through the business person (usually when they turn up eary & I am crawling round the floor with a hairband with pink fluffy bits on springs on or dressed as a dalmation.....or when I'm covered in baby sick/poo/snot as I hand back)

Have you read anything about my nursery?

Our nursery, and also the one that Dps sister works at, have their own polo shirts with name and logo on, for staff to wear. I think it looks professional, and in a job with low wages a cheapish uniform to wear must be a bonus (not sure who pays for it though).