KARA @ ON THE VINE:
Hi Tom, thanks a bunch for providing some insight into your experience working with Vine Ripe Design.  I must admit, having the opportunity to develop the logo branding for your metalworking shop was totally rad!  I love doing freelance design because I get to work with some incredibly creative people.

I’m a big fan of your craft, when did you start working with metal and where do you get your inspiration?

TOM:
Thank you, Kara. It really has been a pleasure working with you to design our logo!

Looking back, I think I did my very first metal art project when I was in Boy Scouts for a merit badge. I was hooked but it was many years later before I rediscovered my love for working with metal. As my life got busier with work and family commitments I realized that I needed some way to focus. When I’m welding I can only focus on that tiny bit of molten metal as it dances around. I see it as my dance partner; sometimes I lead and other times it does so I have to react to way it wants to go.

I’m drawn towards natural balance and symmetry when I make something. Simple, neat, and clean lines can be very expressive when used in the right proportions. I get the most satisfaction out of seeing the look on a customer’s face when I’ve been able to capture just what they were imagining, as I’m sure you do when working with your clients.

KARA @ ON THE VINE:
When did you realize you needed a logo for your shop?  How do you plan to use the logo, is it for hats, shirts, business cards, website, that kind of thing?

TOM:
Around the end of last year I reached a tipping point in my work. This has been a hobby from which I receive immense enjoyment but all of a sudden I had people asking me to make things for them. I was flattered and jumped at the chance to do so. Word of mouth grew and I realized that my hobby was also blossoming into a business.

My logo is really the central image for the brand I have been building. It’s on everything: website, Facebook, business cards, hats, shirts, and signs. I’m even having a punch made to mark my work

KARA @ ON THE VINE:
We strive for a collaborative design process so that our clients are involved from start to finish.  Did you ever have any concerns during the process?  Was it “fun & easy” as we claim?

TOM:
The design process was great! It felt very natural because I do much the same thing with my own clients. That being said, it’s not always easy to take your idea and get it into words. The way that you posed your questions helped draw out the responses even when I wasn’t truly sure what I was trying to say.

KARA @ ON THE VINE:
Do you have any advice for anyone who is maybe on the fence about getting started on a design project?

TOM:
I have two points of advice for people who haven’t yet started. The first is to stop waiting and act. Things don’t get done if you keep them in your head. The second is to let the experts do their jobs. I do design work myself and you did more in a few days than I did in a month of playing with ideas.

KARA @ ON THE VINE:
Thanks again for entrusting me to help develop a design that captures your brand and represents your work.  Do you have any final thoughts?

If people would like more information about your metalworking shop, where can they go?

TOM:
Thank you for making the process so easy to do! You can find my website at http://inspirationmetalworks.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/InspirationMetalworks