LITTLE NELLY
“My brand brings a world of play, design and joy to the under-fives.”
THE BRIEF
We all have ambitions, but not many of us push through to make them a reality. Katy Lazenby was on the cusp of realising hers. Her boutique children’s shop selling clothes and gifts was almost ready to open in Falmouth. When I met Katy, she already had a strong creative vision for her brand.
In her own words:
‘At Little Nelly you will discover clothes, toys and gifts from a collection of brands that share with us a respect for the environment, for fairtrade and for great design.
The clothing we source is 100% organic, giving your 'Little Nelly' style with a conscience and our ranges of soft and wooden toys encourage imaginative play.”
The brief was clear: to develop a playful visual identity that aligned with Katy’s well-defined brand. Having worked with the children’s organic clothing brand Frugi, Katy felt that my experience made me the ideal creative for the project. I was excited to bring her vision to life, starting with the fun task of illustrating elephants!
Developing the logo
When a client is unsure where to begin, I typically create moodboards, conduct competitor research, and develop a range of concepts to guide the project forward. However, Katy knew what she wanted - an elephant with playful typography. I started to brainstorm and sketch ‘Little Nelly.’
Quite quickly I hit upon a concept that Katy loved: a running elephant in a hat with its trunk merging into hand-drawn lettering. I refined the concept a as a final sketch:
FINAL DESIGN
Katy expressed a desire for a blue logo, and while I presented a few alternative colour options, she was confident in her choice. One could argue that blue is a boy’s colour, but I think that is an old-fashioned view, and blue can be considered not biased towards either gender.
Rejected logo colours
When I create a logo I like to create a reverse option too. You never know what its application may be and how it looks on something other than a white background.
Final logo in blue
LOGO APPLICATIONS
With the shop launch imminent, it was time to create signage, frosted glass window decor, gift vouchers, bags and flyers.
SHOP LAUnCH!
I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of Little Nelly, and it was truly rewarding for Katy to see her shop filled with curious customers. Located in a charming cobbled side street in the heart of picturesque Falmouth, the store exuded a welcoming and quaint atmosphere.
Katy is delighted with her logo, as it perfectly reflects the essence of her brand. It was a pleasure to design it, and I’m confident that her shop will continue to thrive.
You can visit Little Nelly at 30 Church Street, Falmouth, Cornwall—perfect for shopping with your own 'little Nelly.'
Owner Katy in front of her Little Nelly shop on opening day
All photos, illustrations & graphics shown on this page are copyrighted to Katy Lazenby & Heather Allen. They must not be reproduced or shared without their permission.
