Behind the Scenes of The Car Mom Rebrand
This rebrand was one for the books! We recently had the honor of working with The Car Mom, a brand dedicated to empowering moms and families to make informed and confident car-buying decisions. Founder Kelly Stumpe and The Car Mom team came to us with a brand they’d far outgrown. They were ready to elevate the brand, shifting their perception from a “mommy blog” to a credible automotive publication that’s completely changing how people buy and sell cars.
Here’s a look behind the scenes at the entire process of The Car Mom rebrand
Brand Strategy
A solid brand strategy is the cornerstone of any successful rebrand. Before we could put pencil to paper, or mouse to screen, we needed to understand and distill The Car Mom’s essence. It wasn’t just about aesthetics; it was about understanding their unique business model, value proposition, and target audience. This set the stage for the design consulting phase.
Here’s a peek into the components of our strategy and synthesis for The Car Mom rebrand:
Brand perception shift
A main objective of The Car Mom rebrand was to shift their brand perception from a mommy blog to a credible automotive brand. The logo needed to seamlessly fit alongside other automotive branding such as Car and Driver or MotorTrend, as well as family-oriented branding such as Parents. The new identity needed to capture feelings of empowerment and confidence, appealing to women and families and balancing trustworthiness with a fun, relatable vibe.
Brand positioning strategy
We refined the brand’s positioning with a new mission statement and tagline:
Mission Statement: Redefining car shopping for moms and creating excitement around the buying process through educational car content.
Tagline: Teaching moms how to buy cars with confidence.
Ideal client
Meet Katie, a busy stay-at-home mom from a suburban town outside of Houston, Texas. She’s ready for a three-row SUV now that baby #3 is on the way. She wants to feel educated about her options and confident that she’s making the right decision for her family. Enjoying the process and finding a new topic to learn about and discuss is a huge bonus too.
Moodboard
To visualize the brand's direction and ensure alignment with the client's vision, we curated images to match the brand’s desired feeling. The images are fun, relatable, and empowering, while still having a professional polish.
Typography & color exploration
Colors and typography play a vital role in conveying a brand's personality. We presented various color palettes and typography styles, allowing The Car Mom team to weigh in. This collaborative process ensured that the final choices resonated with the brand’s identity.
Brand Identity Design
Once we were clear on The Car Mom’s brand strategy, we moved on to the custom branding design. This included a new logo with multiple configurations and badges, a refreshed color palette and type hierarchy, custom illustrated icons, and a suite of brand patterns. For more information on our full brand design process, check out our article, “A Deep Dive into Our Strategic Branding and Logo Design Process.”
Custom logo design
Logo design process
The logo design process involved multiple stages of brainstorming and refinement. We started by sketching 30 to 60 different concepts that captured The Car Mom’s ethos and vibe. This allowed us to explore various creative directions and ultimately hone in on the strongest idea.
The final custom logo design includes rich symbolism to capture the essence of The Car Mom, giving the brand an elevated polish while maintaining a fun and approachable feeling.
Logo symbolism
Buckle Up: Giving the upbeat energy of the no-nonsense friend who tells it to you like it is. The Car Mom is that friend that says “buckle up, we’ll give you the scoop”
Click and Connect: The 2 ends of the seatbelt reach towards each other, giving the sense of community. The Car Mom community is here to support you through the car-buying journey.
Auto and Safety: The seatbelt immediately represents the automotive industry and safety. The Car Mom is making a real impact on the industry.
Brand identity system
A brand isn’t just about the logo; it’s about creating a fully custom brand identity system. The final Car Mom design includes many fun components to bring the brand to life online and IRL.
Logo configurations
We created a full set of around 15 logos and badges for The Car Mom rebrand. They now have a responsive logo system to fit various aspect ratios, from a profile picture to a billboard, and a creative set of tagline badges that allows for compelling, on-brand merch, ensuring cohesion and high impact.
Custom icons for branding
We created a fun, custom icon set to highlight important aspects The Car Mom focuses on in their car reviews, such as being "3 across friendly," having good trunk space, and earning the "Car Mom Approved" stamp.
Color palette for branding
We refined the blue tones in The Car Mom brand to elevate the look and expanded the palette to include inviting neutrals that convey polish, safety, and trustworthiness. We carefully considered how the colors would complement common car colors such as gray, black, and blue. For more information on how we select color palettes that achieve the right vibe and work well on various applications, read our article, “Choosing the Perfect Palette for Your Brand and Website: 7 Key Considerations.”
Brand patterns
Finally, we integrated all of these brand components into a suite of brand patterns. This gives The Car Mom team plenty of options for strengthening website designs, merch, packaging, and social media graphics.
Results: A Complete Brand Perception Shift
The Car Mom rebrand shifted their brand perception from a mommy blog to a credible automotive brand. The new identity captures feelings of empowerment and confidence, appealing to women and families and balancing trustworthiness with a fun, relatable vibe.
Ready to elevate your brand?
Take the next step by booking a free consultation call with our Creative Director, Kathryn Joachim. During this call, you'll have the opportunity to discuss your specific branding needs and goals, as well as learn more about our signature custom branding process. Whether you're looking to refresh your current brand or start from scratch, Kathryn will help strategize on your next steps to crafting a brand that truly reflects the essence of your business.
