Brand Identity
The Limber Yard
Working closely with this small studio, I designed a logo, brand identity, original illustration elements, and a custom website. The goal was to create something she could fully stand behind, unique to her studio, and professional enough to help support and grow the business.
client overview
The Limber Yard is a contemporary Pilates studio specializing in private reformer sessions.
deliverables
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Logo and brand identity
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Brand style guide
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Custom one-page website
Timeline
2-3 months
tools
Illustrator, Fresco, Wix
Goals and challenges
Early client inspiration included fern fronds, Art Nouveau and Deco influences, and a love of House Industries’ retro-inspired fonts and hand lettering. After researching the space, I ruled out fern fronds since they’re so widely used, but still wanted an iconic element that could live alongside the wordmark.
Conversations about the studio revealed two black housecats that often make appearances during sessions, which felt both sweet and unique to this practice. Once the icon was set, I leaned into a bit of cheekiness for those in the know by incorporating subtle references to the Pilates reformer itself. I created a custom illustration of the exact reformer used in the studio, with the hope that even first-time visitors would catch these visual cues and get a small smile when they showed up in person.
Creative process
My process on this project, as with much of my work, is rooted in curation for both myself and the client. I start broadly with inspiration and mood boards, then narrow the focus. Because the wordmark has to carry the weight of the brand, it became the primary focus. The goal was to reflect her influences while creating something that felt distinctly her own. Simply mashing inspiration together can result in something clean and serviceable, the kind of result you might get from AI or Canva, but it won’t be truly unique.
I spent time exploring both serif and sans options before landing on a direction inspired by the cats used as icons and their flexibility and movement. Whether the cat icon appears or not, the wordmark is meant to echo the energy you feel after a class.
