We’re living in an ever-changing world and your brand needs to keep up. Brand Alchemy & Transformative Design by Motherhaus will refresh your brand so it’s an honest reflection of who you are. Why is this important? Truth resonates and will attract the right customers to you.

What is your brand?

Take a moment and think about how you as an individual see yourself and how you want others to see you. Then think about the reality of how others perceive you and how they respond to you.

That is your persona, the personality you present to the world and how the world reacts.

Now think about how your company sees itself. How does it want to be seen? How do customers really see it? How do they respond?

That’s your company’s persona. And that is your brand.

Your brand may need some adjustments for many reasons. Just like people, your brand can seem unclear about who it is or what it stands for. It can look a little worn around the edges. It can sense that it’s falling behind. Sometimes it’s just plain broken.

Changing situations can demand a refresh as well.

Again, it helps to personalize it. Imagine you have to take on new responsibilities. Or picture yourself moving to a new location. In either case, you have to adapt to your changing environment, right?

It’s the same for your brand. When your company is growing or is expanding into new markets, your brand needs to adapt as well.

Take action

If you are concerned that your brand isn’t all it should be or that something just isn’t ringing true, Motherhaus can help you freshen things up.

Next: What is Brand Alchemy?

“The cure for boredom is curiosity.
There is no cure for curiosity.”

- Dorothy Parker

It’s Not Just Your Logo

Your brand is not just your logo. It encompasses every aspect of your company to which a customer or potential customer might relate, such as your:

• Mission
• Values
• Attitude
• Products or Services
• Specialties
• Customer Interactions
• Associations
• Logo
• Tagline
• Typefaces
• Color Palette
• Photography
• Voice
• Graphics
• Locations
• Furnishings
• Music
• Materials
• Uniforms
• Overall Style and Standards

Motherhaus can make every facet of your business reflect what you’re really all about.

Step 1: Curiosity

At Motherhaus, we are curious by nature and we love figuring out how things work.

Brand Alchemy & Transformative Design starts with curiosity as we break down your company persona into its components. We look at all aspect, ask the right questions, search for clues and find fresh inspiration.

The scope varies depending on the assignment but our goal always is to get a clear sense of what you are currently communicating to the world and how the world responds.

Step 2: Truth

After sorting through your outer personality, we dig deeper to your roots, searching for your inner personality: the essence of your company. Our goal is to bring this inner truth and your outer personality into alignment so you project a fresh, honest message to the world (and to yourself).

We compare this inner truth to all the components discovered in Step 1, evaluating which resonate, which need realignment, and which are dead or overgrown and need pruning.

Step 3: Creation

This is where the magic happens. We take our understanding of your inner truth, mix in the insights we’ve gathered throughout the process, then add some creative intuition to transform your brand. We rebuild whatever needs rebuilding, adjusting the components to present a fresher, more honest message to the world.

We also look down the road as far as possible, anticipating future needs and planning for what might happen next. A little prescience goes a long way, and makes your new path so much easier to travel.

Step 4: Integration

Finally, we confirm that your brand is integrated throughout your company. Consistency is key. If you and your brand want to stand out, every touchpoint of your business needs to reflect your inner truth.

• How do all elements of your communications relate to each other?

• Is the branding consistent?

• Does the voice and personality carry through?

• Does it feel right at every touch point?

• Does it all make sense?

• Does it all ring true?

Even the smallest part of a company could be an important character in the telling of your story, making the difference in a sale or in a customer’s perception of you. At this stage we make the final tweaks to the components to assure that they each play well with all the others.

Next: Why Motherhaus?

“Knowing others is wisdom,
knowing yourself is enlightenment.”

- Lao Tzu

It’s Not Just Your Logo

Your brand is not just your logo. It encompasses every aspect of your company to which a customer or potential customer might relate, such as your:

• Mission
• Values
• Attitude
• Products or Services
• Specialties
• Customer Interactions
• Associations
• Logo
• Tagline
• Typefaces
• Color Palette
• Photography
• Voice
• Graphics
• Locations
• Furnishings
• Music
• Materials
• Uniforms
• Overall Style and Standards

Motherhaus can make every facet of your business reflect what you’re really all about.

What is Motherhaus?

Motherhaus is a creative practice focused on helping our clients adapt to an ever-changing world by refreshing their brands, improving their communications, and enhancing public perceptions, resulting in a more successful business.

We call this Brand Alchemy & Transformative Design.

We have a passion for fixing, building, and just making things better. If you and your brand are ready for some changes, we can freshen things up. It’s what we love to do.

The Meaning of Motherhaus

Mother is our approach to our work: we nurture your brand on a personal level and care deeply about its growth as we prepare it for the future.

Haus is a nod to the Bauhaus School: we embrace the union of many disciplines, bringing art, philosophy and technology together under one roof. Haus is the place where the magic of transformation happens.

Motherhaus Services

Motherhaus stands for creation, reinvention and transformation. We reflect this in all our services, which include:

• Brand Evaluation, Strategy, and Identity Development

• Launch Strategy

• Concept Development

• Marketing Campaigns

• Web Design

• Custom WordPress Sites

• Infographics and Presentations

• Business Collateral

• Retail and Environmental Design

• Retail Collateral

• Packaging

Working with our partners, we also can offer and coordinate:

• Video Production

• Live Event Production

• Search Engine Optimization

• Social Media Services

• Visual Display

• Advanced Copywriting, Editing and Proofreading

Why Choose Motherhaus?

• We nurture your brand on a personal level. We pay attention to the details.
  Down to the pixel.

• We have a clean, modern aesthetic.

• We work across most industries and media, from high-end fashion to packaged goods, bricks-and-mortar to digital.

• We are hands-on. We are not a factory and we don’t do “cookie-cutter.”

• We are focused on growing your business. When you grow, we grow.

• We keep your brand cohesive.

• We deliver. On-time and on-budget.

Next: Kevin King | Principal of Motherhaus

Motherhaus Services

Why Choose Motherhaus?

MO: Symbolism

We love working with symbolism and often embed elements into our designs.

For instance, the “M” in our logo is in the shape of the rune Ehwaz and stands for transition, forward movement and positive change.

Our “O” has a dot in the center, making it a circumpunct, the Alchemic symbol for Gold. Transmutation of lead into gold is analogous to personal transmutation, purification, and perfection.

MO is symbolic shorthand for our mission: Move to Transform.

Our Core Disciplines

• Creative Direction
• Art Direction
• Graphic Design
• Web Design
• Project Management
• Copywriting

*Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

Kevin King

Creative Director | Principal of Motherhaus LLC
69 Avenue C Unit B New York 10009
Direct +1 212 358 9785
Mobile +1 646 408 4623

Portfolio | Résumé | Let’s connect

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” – Joseph Campbell

My story

I’m a modern-day alchemist: I refresh and transform brands to reflect their inner truth. Why? Truth resonates and truth will attract the right customers.

I had my first lesson in alchemy in college. Back then I was an Ayn Rand-obsessed objectivist, studying economics at Northwestern and heading for a career with a bank or consulting firm. When I started interviewing, however, something just didn’t feel right. Was I heading in the wrong direction?

Then I discovered What Color is Your Parachute, a book that helped me identify my peak experiences and passions. What a breakthrough. Even though I excelled in math, science, and other “professional” studies, I began to realize I was an artist at heart. Drawing, painting, music, and design were my true loves and they directed me to a new path, changing my life.

Joseph Campbell once said, “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” As soon as I shifted my focus, doors started to open. A chance introduction at a Limelight party in Chicago led to the launch of my fashion career in New York, where I was soon being mentored by the brilliant creative forces at Marithé & François Girbaud. A few years later, a random phone call led to a move to Giorgio Armani where I collaborated with some of the top design talents in the industry. I’d followed my bliss and was now navigating a world of high-profile, demanding personalities, applying creativity to transform their businesses.

When the internet started taking off, I launched a web design studio to help fashion clients transition online, then headed into advertising to serve as creative director at Lowe and JWT where I built departments, mentored young creatives, and transformed Fortune 100 brands. Opportunities kept appearing.

Today I am Principal of Motherhaus LLC, still embracing the magic of alchemy and still following my bliss: conjuring great new stories with like-minded clients and partners who share my progressive vision.

What I learned and how it can help you.

My mixed background has taught me to balance my rational and creative sides. I value organization, planning, strategy, timelines, and budgets as much as I care about the creative vision and its unified expression across all aspects of your business. I can help you find what really matters to you and your company and make it resonate through the stories we tell about you, the pictures we share, and the conversations we generate.

Let’s connect.

Testimonials

I’ve had the professional and personal privilege to work with Kevin for the past 5 years. He’s my go-to Creative Director for ideas and solutions. Kevin has supported me on a variety of assignments, ranging from internal marketing campaigns to videos, web-based initiatives, presentation design and much more. Kevin is a consummate professional. His easygoing and thoughtful manner combined with his creative and strategic thinking are great strengths. He always delivers his projects on-time and on-budget. And best of all he’s upbeat and fun!
Jeanne Reilly, Multimedia Producer, Kraft Foods

Kevin exceeded our expectations from start to finish of the process of designing our company logo. Kevin had a way of finding out the details about our brand and he managed to incorporate the results of his research in his logo design. Highly recommend.
Chef Fed, Michelin-star private NYC chef and cooking class tutor

Kevin is a true professional and his input and creativity was invaluable. A great job and I’d totally recommend Kevin.
John Glatt, Author, Freelance Writing and Editing Consultant

In this industry, it is hard to meet a person like Kevin, who is not only talented but also incredibly kind and caring. Kevin is one of the most impressive supervisors I have met and I am so thankful I had an opportunity to work with him.
SoJung Lee, Digital Consultant, JWT
reported to Kevin at JWT Inside

Kevin and I worked on some interactive projects together. I found him to be talented, insightful and professional in every aspect of our work together. He handled unexpected requirements and issues easily and ensured that the results would meet requirements and adapt to changing technical challenges. Additionally to providing Creative, Kevin became a de facto project manager and handled the challenges with ease.
Peter Campbell, President, m3

Kevin is an incredibly talented graphic designer that knows how to take concept and personality and create websites, cards, menus, etc. that reflect the uniqueness of the services offered. He’s done many projects for me, all of which have been effective, beautiful and reflective of who I am in a way I had not thought possible. Whether he’s editing and helping me write copy, choose colors, font..etc. or expanding my website, he always hits the mark exactly. I’ve recommended him to several friends and they all have the same experience! He’s also very easy to work with and delivers on time with an extreme awareness to budget limits and is incredibly resourceful.. a delight to work with! Top qualities: Great Results, High Integrity, Creativity.
Soli Davis, Owner, Shibumi Spa

Never had the pleasure of working with someone as inspiring as Kevin. I have learned so many valuable lessons from our collaborations—principles I continue to apply in my work today.
Brian Morris, Senior Art Director, reported to Kevin at Lowe Interactive / Lowe Worldwide

Kevin is a dream to work with…his creative sensibility is unique and unmatched; and, he takes the time to understand the strategic implications of his proposed creative solutions, in terms of the human results, as well as making a positive impact on people’s lives. A difficult balance to achieve, but Kevin manages to do so seamlessly.
Delmus Credle, Strategic Planner, worked with Kevin at Lowe Interactive / Lowe Worldwide

Kevin was a wonderfully talented and inspirational creative director!
Vina Lam, Art Director, reported to Kevin at Lowe Interactive / Lowe Worldwide

Kevin was an amazing person to work under. He was motivating and inspirational and a truely great talent.
Kysa Johnson, Art Director, reported to Kevin at Lowe Interactive / Lowe Worldwide

Kevin is incredibly detail-oriented and patient. In addition to being visually stunning, his creative is smart, thought-provoking and strategically on-target. Kevin is very easy to work with and for and is well-respected. He is an exceptional Creative Director in a sea of mediocrity.
Paula McAleese, VP Account Director, worked indirectly for Kevin at Lowe Interactive / Lowe Worldwide

Working for David Clark Cause, our assignment was to create a logo to brand a new World Food Programme (WFP) initiative, leveraging the relationship between nutrition and successful learning in the developing world. This “Food for Thought” brand/logo would be licensed to corporations to use on their products and services and solicit donations and support for the WFP’s school feeding program, thereby introducing a B-to-C component to existing foundation contributions.

Before/After

Food for Thought is intended to pull together several existing yet disparate WFP initiatives under one powerful brand. The logo builds upon an existing red “fill the cup” heritage, using a stylized “cup” shape and embedding FFT into the center of the red logo.

Symbolism

This abstract cup is a sigil made with the F’s in “Food” and “For” and the T in “Thought”

The shape is unique and has the potential to become iconic

It has badge value, with the lip of the cup resembling the corners of a shield

The plus sign is only suggested; when your mind completes it, the logo becomes more memorable

The three elements on top can be interpreted as either going in or emerging

GOING IN: they could be wheat or rice (not specific)

EMERGING: they could symbolize opportunity rising from the cup

EMERGING: they could symbolize a light or flame, as in the Lamp of Knowledge

Warrants

Each licensed partner would receive a warrant for application to their product or packaging, alerting customers of their official WFP status and assuring that purchase of the product contributes to the World Food Programme.

Applications

Stationery

With Imagery