Siesta Key Stays
Basic Brand Identity & Web Design
Siesta Key Stays is a new boutique vacation rental management company looking to establish itself as a trustworthy and competitive brand. I was hired as the lead designer responsible for creating a basic brand identity design, including a logo, wireframe, color scheme, and type scale.
Overview
Siesta Key Stays is a new boutique vacation rental management company serving Siesta Key and the surrounding areas in Florida. Olivia, the owner of Siesta Key Stays, wanted to establish her new company in the market as being trustworthy, contemporary, and fun. She did not have the budget to invest in a full-scale, comprehensive brand design, but I worked with her to nail down the basics so she can launch her company, and use the design collateral to grow upon.
Goals
It was important to my client and I that the feeling of the new brand invoked the same cheerful, care-free feelings that a stay on Siesta Key is bound to foster. Additionally, the owner wanted her company to exude feelings of:
trustworthiness
fun & lightheartedness
professionalism
contemporary
It was important for me to choose colors and fonts that embodied these core brand themes, and design a website that was easy to navigate and cohesive. I had a timeline of one month for feedback and iterations before the final deliverables were presented.
Color Scheme
When determining the color scheme for Siesta Key Stays, I wanted to focus on bright, cheerful colors that you’d see while visiting Siesta Key. The main yellow has a slight lime green undertone to it, and the supporting green and blue hues are soft and relaxed. The final color included in the brand color scheme is an accent orange color. Though not in the logo like the other three colors are, this fourth color can be used for supplemental materials and an added pop of pizazz!
Typography
For Siesta Key Stay’s typography, I used DM Serif Display as the main font. I chose this font because it carries the professionalism of a serif while serving up a heavy dose of fun and lightheadedness too. It is reminiscent of the classic Playfair Display while being original and unique. The body supporting text font is Raleway, which is a cleanliness sans-serif font. It is streamlined and easy to read while allowing the main font (DM Serif Display) to shine.
Logo
The first iteration of the logo was a line-drawn palm tree and waves. After the first round of feedback, both the client and I agreed that though it was trendy and beachy, it didn’t stand out and wasn’t as unique as what Siesta Key Stays needed. I added some color to the second iteration, along with a large sun behind the brand name to make it stand out. Yet still, something felt off. The palm tree and waves were getting lost by the sheer size and color of the sun.
Thus came the third iteration, where I did away with many of the small line details and opted for a full-color logo that was bright, cheerful and memorable. In the end, the client and I were pleased. The final iteration of the logo has the same look and feel that we wanted the brand to have- trustworthy, contemporary, and FUN!
Web Design
All of my client’s competitors have streamlined, clean websites that are easy to navigate and book homes through, so it was imperative that my client had the same. To achieve this, I made sure that the call to action (find & book homes) button was prominent and clear. I also made sure that the menu bar at the top of the page had only the essentials to streamline the user experience.
Finally, I put the thumbnail photos of the homes in polaroid-like boxes that are reminiscent of nostalgic photos, as I wanted to signal the memory-making magic that my client is offering through their home rentals. In the polaroid boxes, I also include the home, name, and beds/baths so site visitors can easily tell if the home would accommodate their family at a glance. Once users click on the thumbnail photo, they are then taken to the property page that gives the full home details and photos. I had wanted to change the brand name in the logo to being in black so it stood out, but my client prefers the white text logo and wanted to try it out first.
Takeaways & Conclusion
This project had a quick turnaround and two cycles of feedback, as my client and her homeowners were anxious to get the direct booking site up and running, which proved to be a fun challenge. As a designer who wants to specialize in branding work, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of working on a vacation rental brand as I am already well-acquainted with the industry. The logo iterations were tedious at times but I am really pleased with how the final logo came out. To complete this basic brand package, I utilized mostly Adobe Illustrator and XD, to create cohesive collateral for my client.
In conclusion, the owner of Siesta Key Stays was presented with a logo, color scheme, typeface, and wireframe for their website. These items were delivered within one month, and my client has everything she needs to successfully launch her new company.