The structure of the site is a simple blog on the best of days. It’s not complex and doesn’t demand much attention. But lurking at the top is an understated logotype that was actually part of a year-long yearning to represent our family with something unique and special to us. Often, I find it the most difficult to build a design that represents yourself instead of a client. It’s a mindset challenge (and an I-know-too-much-about-this-topic challenge) that requires diligent prioritization of underlying meaning, what’s important in the design and commitment to the end goal to avoid distracting “we could do this too” muddiness.
While the idea of a logo and brand for Crossley Farms consumed tiny moments of my thinking for a long while, when it arrived on the screen, it was nearly perfect. We’re outdoor enthusiasts. While secluded during the pandemic, we loaded our tiny kids into hiking packs and trekked our property time and time again. My husband – a Veteran of the Army Special Forces – excels at reading the terrain and has attempted to teach me the same during our adventure races. What unites our passion with the farm so clearly is that – the terrain – and the logo reflects that. The undulating curves of the mark were traced from terrain maps of our property. The green gradient reflects the lush green time of year that we love so much. And the quirky type mimics the rolling hills throughout the homestead.
What I love most is that the mark of our home stands as a bit of a time capsule – storing a visual of how we found it. Every new pasture or livestock pen will change the shape of this land. Every rain that washes through the meadow will change the shape of this land. The gardens, brambles and orchard all change the shape of this land as new plants and trees move through. With this slow, iterative change often evolving before we can notice it – we’ll always have this keepsake to remind us of the very start.
