Dear Pru has been a ‘thing’ for a while now. It existed as a brand before I registered it as a business name. But it really came into its own when I invited South Australian artist Pip Kruger to design my logo back in 2019.
Pip encapsulated my ‘brand identity’ perfectly: quirky, fun and creative. As the Dear Pru avatar winks, you wonder what adventures has provoked her copper top knot to unravel. The knitting needles are there as a nod to the core focus of my business, but it’s not cliche.
When I became the recipient of a Charles Sturt Business Development Grant this year, I wanted to use it to take my brand identity further, so as to better communicate who Dear Pru is as a business in my products and advertising. And I wanted to do it with a local creative businesswoman who “gets” me.
Pip was excited to pick up where we left off four years ago. She sketched a range of unique, on-brand illustrations or elements to be used interchangeably, in different combinations. From this she developed an extended palate, some texture panels as well as a new font. Pip also provided mock ups of how these components could be used together to enhance my knitting patterns so that they were more recognisable as a Dear Pru pattern.
I really appreciated being able to work with a local artist who listened and understood my brief, and then brought it to life, inspired (which literally means breath into) with her own unique talent. More than a brand tool kit, I have a brand toy box of fun colours, textures, concepts and ideas that make it easier to communicate on social media, and present my knitting patterns and other products in a more cohesive style.
You will have seen some of my new elements appearing on my Instagram and Facebook feeds…and I have begun updating my knitting patterns and workbooks. Next: updating my website so that it has the same look and feel, featuring the Dear Pru brand expansion kit made possible by Pip Kruger and the City of Charles Sturt.
Pip Kruger is a freelance Illustrator. She lives in a small seaside town on the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. Since completing a Master of Design in 2012, Pip lovingly developed a line of illustration based greeting cards, prints, brooches and textiles which she began stocking throughout Australia. She has also created illustrations for international children’s and lifestyle brands and regularly illustrates for various magazines. Find out more: http://www.pipkruger.com/
