Part of the excitement/frustration of doing what I do is that I’m privy to projects that cannot be discussed in public before it’s released or announced by clients. (NDAs: Bummers, right? :P) So I’m very happy to finally announce the launch of CareAline Products, LLC!

If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, you actually know the founders and CEOs of CareAline: Mike and Kezia Fitzgerald. I featured them in an earlier blog post here.

Mike and Kezia are dear friends of mine, and, after a hard fight, they tragically lost their baby daughter, Saorise, last December to neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer. (Saorise is pronounced “SHEER-suh.” Beautiful, isn’t it?)

They directed the energy from their devastating loss to making better the lives of everyone fighting cancer by getting involved in several cancer organizations and starting the Fitzgerald Cancer Fund in 2011 after both Saorise AND Kezia were diagnosed with different forms of cancer. (I KNOW. Wow. Kezia’s health is doing well, by the way.)

Mike and Kezia developed the CareAline Sleeve and CareAline Wrap out of necessity while Saorise was undergoing chemotherapy for neuroblastoma.

CareAline’s mission is to provide improved quality of life for patients with implanted intravenous lines, and their caregivers. They offer functional, protective garments for both children and adults. CareAline’s products provide freedom from extraneous medical tape and protection from different forms of environmental exposures, allowing patients (and caregivers) more comfort during treatment and everyday life.

This is such a noble way to start a business, that I was completely floored and honored when they asked me to create the logo for their company. Since they’re both creatives themselves, this was a dream process, as we all spoke the same language. Mike and Kezia were also dream clients, since they gave me a solid idea of what they wanted to see while allowing me to get creative and do the best work I could do for them. They let me do my job.

They wanted the logo to portray the warm and nurturing attribute of the CareAline brand, so we talked about the warmth and nurture that a mother gives her child. Given the ordeal that Kezia and Saoirse endured, this idea seemed more imperative to communicate than ever.

They have a preference for giraffes, so I followed that route. After doing research on giraffe anatomy and also taking care to research existing logos that feature giraffes (don’t want to copy Geoffery the Giraffe of Toys “R” Us fame!), I proceeded to sketch and refine a stylized illustration of a giraffe nuzzling her baby. Keeping them within the safe blanket of an enclosed circle helped to further the nurturing idea.

As for the type, we went with a look that was reminiscent of a child’s writing, as a dedication to Saoirse and CareAline’s young patients.

After they approved the design, I made sure to execute various logo variations so they could use their logo in different applications and media. With all my logo designs, I make sure to deliver the following versions:

• Pantone
• CMYK
• RGB
• Black and white
• Reverse (or how the logo would look against a dark background)

When applying your logo in different applications – for example, uploading a Facebook or Twitter profile picture or website header or printing a letterhead – you want to have the correct version of that logo type on hand so you’re not left scrambling to slop something together and therefore jeopardizing the integrity of your brand. So I make sure my clients are prepared.

I’m quite happy with the final logo, and I’m extremely happy that Mike and Kezia are too.

I encourage you to keep up with their blogs and social media outlets:

Read Mike’s blog

Read Kezia’s blog

Visit CareAline’s website

Like CareAline’s Facebook page

Follow CareAline on Twitter

Thank you for reading!