Karen Pacheco with Mortgage Architects was one of my favourite logo design clients of 2019! She is a Mortgage Broker serving Edmonton and the surrounding area, with a focus on Sturgeon County and the Tri-Region.
Karen was a bit of a guinea pig and was the first to go through our now tried-and-true brand development process. We appreciated her willingness to grow with us and provide invaluable feedback.
The results are outstanding and I’m happy to report that both her business and brand are thriving!
Brand Identity Objectives
For Karen Pacheco’s rebrand, we wanted to create a custom mortgage broker logo design that was compliant with the Real Estate Council of Alberta’s (RECA) guidelines. In addition to being RECA compliant, we wanted to provide her with a unique and high-quality logo to help her stand out as a mortgage broker.
Karen is an active member of her community and invests a great deal in sponsoring local events. She was seeking a logo that she could use on her marketing materials that would bring her brand recognition in addition to her brokerage.
It’s very important when you have a professional body like Karen, that you do not choose a logo for free option! Having a professional graphic designer know the ins and outs of an organization like RECA will save you a lot of headaches in the future.
Creating a long-term personal brand like Karen’s can bring visibility to personal initiatives instead of the overarching body of a brokerage. Instead of just promoting Mortgage Architects, Karen gets to promote herself which will benefit her in the long term.
Target Audience
Karen’s target market is young families. She loves helping these families navigate the mortgage market and finding the best deal for them. When it comes to mortgages, many people focus on finding a low interest rate, but that isn’t the only thing to look for. Karen does a great job finding a mortgage that will match your lifestyle and five-year plans.
She is also very active on social media. We needed to create a mortgage broker logo that would look amazing online, on a banner, and on marketing materials like business cards and her website.
Karen has carved out a unique niche in permanent residents from Africa and South East Asia. This niche is where we got a lot of our logo ideas from. It helps Karen stand out in her market by speaking specifically to this often underserved group of people.
When you focus your logo design and branding on a specific group as Karen has, it puts you in a better position to serve them.
Rebranding Solution & Company Logo
The best part about logo creation is when all of the puzzle pieces come together. Karen’s niche of permanent residents from Africa and Southeast Asia is what gave us our aha moment.
After researching African and Asian values, a parallel appeared; both cultures place a high value on hospitality. Karen prides herself on providing high levels of customer service to her clients. In our brand discovery session, she talked a lot about going above and beyond and creating personal connections with her customers.
We positioned her brand more closely with the hospitality industry than the mortgage broker industry. We took logo inspiration from wineries, hotels and restaurants.
The pineapple is the international symbol of hospitality, but we didn’t want her logo to be too literal or too tropical. Instead, we looked at the cross-section of a pineapple and took inspiration from the stars on the Ethiopian and Philippine flags.
Our team also some marketing materials for Karen, all of which were inspired by the hospitality industry. For example, we mocked up custom wine labels that Karen could give to her clients on their moving day!
Knowing who your target audience is and how you can connect with them in unique ways is one of the many benefits of using a professional designer. We think beyond the logo graphic and figure out clever ways to use that graphic and supporting materials to wow your target audience after your rebrand.
Your Turn?
Is it time for you to create a professional logo for your business? At Paper Lime Creative you get access to professional logo designers that build brands dedicated to your target audience. Want to learn more? Book a consultation call with us today!