New Logo Debut & A Cookie Before Dinner’s Journey

Special thanks to Wente for encouraging me to tell a piece of my entrepreneurial journey.

When I started A Cookie Before Dinner in 2012, I was a mom with a baby who was on a mission…. a mission to turn nothing into something. I had watched blogs like Life Rearranged, McMama (no longer around) and a few others find success. I did a lot of reading about blogging and spent a ton of time learning how to DIY my site.

I loved my tag line. A Cookie Before Dinner was a 3:00 am idea. I knew I wanted something that was a play on words and implied parenting. It took a few months, but I proudly debuted my first header/logo in November of 2012. I loved the chevron pattern. And that font… Quicksand, which is still a favorite of mine.

About six months later, I was feeling a little unsettled and like I needed some focus. I wasn’t really talking about life and love anymore. But I was using my writing a lot to work through some parenting trials I was having. Motherhood was hard, and I wasn’t afraid to get vulnerable about it.  The chevron stayed, but my overall look got a bit more mature.

I gave myself another make over in January of 2014. We had welcomed Lola into our family and she was way easier than Malone was a baby. I felt like I was finally crawling out of my parenting fog that settled when Malone was born. Having one child was really hard for me, but going to two was a breeze. I wrote a lot about being intentional, setting goals, and chasing as sweet life well lived.  My new logo was a completely fresh look. I loved the mason jar and colors. I liked the a lot of what I had going on with my blog… some elements are still there now.

And then I went through an identity crisis in November (same year). Food blogs were becoming really popular and I was tired of getting asked about cookies. I thought about rebranding completely and I went on a domain buying spree, but nothing felt right. The mason jar got a slight make over and I moved to a more sophisticated font. I started working with brands doing sponsored work, I did a few reviews and I learned the power of networking with other bloggers.

In March of 2015 I wrote one of my first locally focused blog posts. Each year, Holyoke (my hometown) hosts a huge St. Partrick’s Day parade. The parade is epic… it lasts about three hours and I thought there might be families close to where I live that might be intimidated by the prospect. The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade tip post went around the sun and back again on Facebook. Everyone and their uncle shared it, and a light bulb went off in my head. Very slowly, I started to test the waters of writing a locally focused blog.

It didn’t take long for me to realize I was on to something. And by April 2015 I was calling myself a Western MA blogger. A friend helped me with a few elements of the design on this one (she helped make the letters on the bottom curved) and I liked it a lot, but something was missing. However, there are times when done is better than perfect.

The logo journey continued. This is why I’m a DIYer. I’d drive just about any designer insane. I spent the rest of 2015 and into 2016 happily working for both myself and on sponsored posts. I also spent a lot of time behind the scenes really digging into the A Cookie Before Dinner brand, the type of content I wanted to write and who I wanted to write it for. I decided I really wanted the best of both worlds…. to be writing things that moms who live in my area would find specifically useful AND to be encouraging parents everywhere to chase the sweet life.

This felt almost right.

This one was even closer.

I loved the simplicity of the lines. It was clear who I was and what I was up to. It totally felt like the “new” me. But I missed the old me too.

And then this happened. It feels JUST LIKE me and who I want to reach. It is playful and fun but clear too.

And of course, I needed an option B too.  The circle is too big for my header space. But I can see this getting used as a watermark or in my newsletter.

About Wente: 

The Wente family’s story begins in 1883, when German immigrant, C.H. Wente immigrated to America with the dream of creating a better life. After studying winemaking under Charles Krug in Napa Valley, he moved to Livermore with his wife to pursue his new career. Five generations later Wente is still the oldest continuously-operated, family-owned winery in the country. Their wines are 100% estate grown and sustainably farmed in the Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay and Arroyo Secco. Over the past 130 years Wente Vineyards’ Chardonnay is consistently recognized as being the best-selling varietal in the country. The Wente Family is proud to be recognized as “California’s First Family of Chardonnay.”

As someone who loves a great glass of wine after the kids go to bed (and while I work on my DIY blogging skills), I adore Wente Louis Mel Sauvignon Blanc. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. And complex in all the right ways.

And as someone who has been on a logo and brand journey for the last several months, I totally appreciate their label too.