At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, I opened my own Etsy shop. I sold physical stickers that I designed, produced, and shipped myself. I also created content for my social media pages, specifically Instagram.
Branding / Packaging
In the beginning, I knew I wanted to handletter most of my products and social media content. This element was then included in my logo, branding, and packaging. I would use Procreate on the iPad and my Apple Pencil to write out what was needed. It added a more personalized and unique touch to my overall aesthetic of TheoCreates.
In terms of colors chosen, yellow was the final pick due to the happiness and love it exuded. I wanted my customers to feel these two things when visiting my Etsy page and opening up their package from me.
Social Media Posts
In order to market my Etsy shop, I created Instagram posts about my stickers. My page was also a creative outlet for me to post other graphic design or illustration work I wanted to share. You will see the recent posts in my feed below, as well as 2 of my favorites.
On the left, you see a beautiful butterfly, with the quote, "grow through what you go through". I originally created the butterfly in Adobe Illustrator for my Digital Design Basics class. We had to make an animal essentially only using brushes, the pen tool, and gradients.
On the right, you see another Instagram graphic of a Mac Cosmetics Blush compact. Similar to the butterfly, this was created in Adobe Illustrator for my Digital Design Basics class. We could essentially only use the pen tool, shape builder tool, and gradients.
My goal was to make them as realistic as possible and add a significant amount of detail. For both illustrations, the colors chosen were already their natural ones. The butterfly has the complimentary colors of orange and blue on its wings and the blush is dark pink.
Sticker Designs
Throughout the creation process for each one, I chose bright colors and handlettered elements. When necessary, I included sans serif typefaces. As I mentioned for my overall branding, I wanted my stickers to exude happiness and love. Each one was inspired by a saying I enjoyed or an experience I had.
