
LUNA BELLA’S
The fashion on Vashon
After a successful career in costume design and custom wardrobe work for the likes of J.Lo, Beyoncé, and Lizzo, Tesse Crocker decided to return to her Vashon Island roots and open an exclusive consignment store in downtown Vashon. Just a quick ferry ride from Seattle, the island is a popular destination, bringing in tourists along with sophisticated in-the-know shoppers. Because, for whatever reason, the fashion scene on Vashon is lit.
Tesse brought us on board as she and her partner were beginning renovations to an existing retail building. She was starting from scratch with the brand. We created mood boards based on conversations about Tesse’s design and fashion influences. She asked us if there was any way we could work in her favorite Crayola crayon color, Thistle. Saying no would have been rude so instead we built her entire brand palette around that color. We passed along some matching Sherwin Williams paint swatches and as the new colors went up on the walls we got busy with the rest of the identity.
services provided:
identity
illustration
print
digital

Logo suite.


Color palette with inspiration.

Typography.

Tissue paper pattern.
It was important for the store as a brand to feel like a curated experience. You’re not just getting the best of gently used fashion, you’re also getting the benefit of Tesse’s expertise and critical eye. But while the outfits may be luxe, the attitude is friendly, warm, and relaxed. You’re on Vashon Island, after all. How to translate that to a graphic identity? With an eclectic mix of type treatments, island-inspired iconography, and a hint of vintage European style, pulled from sources shared by Tesse along with some inspiration from our own research. The identity needed to be a graphic interpretation of Tesse’s personality.

Square cards with silk finish and rose gold foil accents.

Round monogram sticker on recycled shopping bag.

Tag, You’re On Sale
As the renovations progressed, we prioritized which projects would get the Luna Bella’s treatment first. Inside the store, Tesse wanted to get the hang tags figured out. As a lifelong patron of thrift and consignment stores, she had opinions. She was adamant about having a color-coded system that would make it easy for customers to find their size at a glance, but which also included important consignment information such as vendor number and pull date. There was also a need to differentiate hang tags for clothing items from accessories and shoes. Our initial explorations veered from the established color palette by using more vibrant, almost DayGlo colors; Tesse felt the color coding needed to be separate from the brand palette but not quite so enthusiastic, so we dialed back the saturation to more pastel colors, and paired them with black for contrast and sophistication.

Full moon hang tags for accessories and larger color-coded hang tags for clothing.

Hang tag on a bag, and a sale poster.
It’s a Sign
The priority for the exterior of the shop was an eye-catching sign. Something that would fit with the vibe of Vashon while at the same time immediately giving you a sense of the Luna Bella’s brand. Taking cues from standout regional signage, we designed a version of the logo that fit within a unique holding shape, complete with an illuminated moon. Credit for construction of the sign goes to Tesse’s partner, otherwise known as the Fella, who happened to be a designer and creative fabricator himself, and who was currently keeping busy designing and building a custom sales counter for the interior of the building (which turned out beautifully, go Fella!).

Design mockup for the exterior building sign.
Drawing It Out
We had a sign and a preliminary style guide worked out. Now we could move on to some of the illustrations we’d discussed for social media, a future website, and a few collateral pieces. Tesse had mentioned that she wanted to have “Full Moon Sales” throughout the year, so a moon image was a given. We also decided to do a portrait of the store front that would give us a great secondary image to use in various ways. We found inspiration in the list of extras Tesse was planning to provide in addition to selling clothing, such as wardrobe services, bridal dressing, and tailoring, and when we found out that the Fella often parked his 1978 MG Model B out front we couldn’t help but include that as well. In fact, it can be seen today driving around the island with a Luna Bella’s magnet on the door.

Building illustration with the Fella’s MG.

Color variations of the building illustration for use in social media.


Spot illustrations for various uses.

The infamous Vashon Island Barbie Dream Hearse.
Consigners, Customers, Community
Finally we shifted focus to the three primary drivers of the Luna Bella’s effort: the consigners who provide the inventory, the customers who purchase it, and the community that embraces it all. Everything got the Luna Bella’s touch, from store signage posting the consignment schedule to gift certificates and hot pink tissue paper. When Tesse opened her doors we designed her an Open House poster, which started an ongoing series of posters to promote her store’s open house days in conjunction with island events. Since then we’ve helped promote her community workshops and soon we’re looking forward to helping brand her new Sewing School venture.

Gift certificates with rose quartz envelopes.

Consigner wallet cards.

Event posters.
What have we learned working with Tesse? For one thing we’ve learned to embrace pink. Seriously, so much pink. But it’s a strong color, and we have to admit that her color palette is one of the most fun we’ve ever worked with. I think we’ve learned that this is how you run a passion project. Tesse’s vision and energy is an inspiration for anyone making a go with a small business. She is the fashion on Vashon.
Seen enough? Questions?
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