This spring I went through a bit of an identity crisis, and no, I’m not talking about myself this time! Instead, my feelings were directed towards the visual identity of the things I put out to the world under The Last Stitch name. It lacked direction, and I kept changing up things all the time and really struggled to create a cohesive look.
And when I talk about visual identity, I’m referring to things like the covers of my books, my sewing pattern covers, my YouTube-thumbnails and even my logo. As we say in Sweden, my brand lacked a red thread, i.e it had no easily identifiable signifier, and I had started to resent the graphic design work since I felt it lacked direction.
Up until that point, I had done pretty much all myself. But I have also done graphic design work on and off as part of my day jobs for over two decades, so I have the basic skills and a decent visual eye. But I’m not a trained graphic designer, and I think that shows!
So after struggling with what do to moving forward, I decided to hire a professional designer. Enter Fatema Poonawala, who I found in a Facebook group for creative entrepreneurs. I resonated with her style immediately, as I wanted something that was graphically refined but still looked fun and exciting.
So let’s take a look at the changes in my branding that Fatema created
The log and sub-logo
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/blog-header-2017-5.png?resize=431%2C172&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/new-logo-the-last-stitch-logo.png?resize=692%2C291&ssl=1)
New colour palette
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/colors-the-last-stitch.gif?resize=1024%2C287&ssl=1)
The blog
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/Blog_Front_page_Desktop.jpg?resize=761%2C834&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog-new-1.jpg?resize=596%2C1024&ssl=1)
Updated blog look. I still use the same WordPress theme, so the changes are not massive. But I made it cleaner and brighter.
Book covers
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/master-the-coverstitch-book_out_now.jpg?resize=1024%2C688&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/Master-the-Coverstich-Sewing-Activewear-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C592&ssl=1)
The biggest change is to my coverstitch book. While I did like the bright orange cover, and it really stood out on Amazon, it was not cohesive with the rest of my brand, so I made some changes so that my upcoming books will have a cohesive look.
YouTube
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/YouTubeDesktop.jpg?resize=1024%2C468&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/the-last-stitch-youtube.gif?resize=1024%2C410&ssl=1)
I really wanted to create an upbeat, fun look for my YouTube-channel. On YouTube bright colours work better than muted for the most part, and Fatema created a look that felt totally right for the medium.
Pattern covers
![Sewing pattern for knit hats](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/Ullvi_1_sample.png?resize=580%2C778&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/Ullvi_Hat_Instructions_The-Last-Stitch.jpg?resize=791%2C1024&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/Pattern-Bundle-Brisa-Ullvi-Tova-1-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C758&ssl=1)
My current sewing pattern collection consists of three patterns, with more to come this year. So having the covers reworked felt like a great push for me to create more sewing patterns.
So while this was an investment, I am so happy that I had the courage to reach out and hire a professional. Now I have an art direction and rules for everything I do, so no more messing around. And If you are looking for a very skilled graphic designer I can highly recommend reaching out to Fatema (and say that I sent you 🙂 )
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaststitch.com/wp-content/uploads/brand-guide-lines.jpg?resize=1024%2C658&ssl=1)
The biggest thing about working with a graphic designer is that it has given me a new energy around the work I do on The Last Stitch. Some of most fun work days this summer was the days I spent implementing her design changes. Just writing this blog post make me think of far I have come, since I started this process earlier this year.
So what do you think about my visual look? The brief was about creating a clean, energetic look that was still rooted in my Scandinavian heritage, There are even more changes in the pipeline, and I have even more cool things that Fatema designed for me that will pop in different formats in the future.
Hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look. I love reading about this kinda stuff myself, and I hope you do to!
4 Comments
Marya Hussain
August 16, 2019 at 6:53 amThe new layout and changes are so creative and look incredible!
Johanna Lundström
August 16, 2019 at 6:58 pmThank you, that makes me so happy to hear. I too am so happy with my new look!
Erin
August 20, 2019 at 2:50 pmYEAH, BRAND LAUNCH! I love how this turned out. Big thumbs up, lady!
Johanna Lundström
August 21, 2019 at 5:01 pmThank you Erin!