Final thoughts before we go digital
I've decided to stick with my version 2 positioning statement I feel it fully supports the company's view and gives a clear understanding.

Positioning statement
The Divine Child Doula
The Divine Child Doula is Michelle MacLean, Michelle has a deep passion for birth
and all it entails. Michelle's personal style as a doula is what separates her from other doula's. She is an open minded free spirit that's speaks not only from a highly educated standpoint but also from her heart. She has a calm, caring, nurturing side to her, but also can take a strong lead. Michelle has experienced both hospital and home births first hand and brings this knowledge to the table. With her calming nature she brings confidence, physical and emotional support for each family. These qualities help birthing families make educated informed decisions and birth in the most aware and gentle way possible.

Final moodboard
The final moodboard represents The Divine Child Doula in a creative fun and whimsical palette. A crafty hands on approach with simple shapes natural textures. Creating a personal, caring, and nurturing touch. (A friend that is there for you when ever you need them.)

I've decided to hand in my hand drawn logo but here is a quick look at what I was thinking

Version 2 
Positioning statement
The Divine Child Doula
The Divine Child Doula is Michelle MacLean, Michelle has a deep passion for birth
and all it entails. Michelle's personal style as a doula is what separates her from other doula's. She is an open minded free spirit that's speaks not only from a highly educated standpoint but also from her heart. She has a calm, caring, nurturing side to her, but also can take a strong lead. Michelle has experienced both hospital and home births first hand and brings this knowledge to the table. With her calming nature she brings confidence, physical and emotional support for each family. These qualities help birthing families make educated informed decisions and birth in the most aware and gentle way possible.

version 2

Moodboard

Light muted colour palette

Simple and clean

A personal touch

Version 1Descriptors Taglines

• A helping hand in child birth
• Informative supportive care for birthing families
• A doula with a passion
• A calming presence during your birth journey
• Guiding you with care through your birth journey

Version 1
Brand driven Taglines

• Breathe Believe Birth
• Birth with confidence 
• Moments that matter
• Passion for birth
• calm and caring

Version 1
Brand Markers

start of ideas

working progress

more work in progress

Final logos

So I've chosen to work on The Divine Child Doula company for my branding project.
Refine research
Were do I think the brand should go
Key message

V1 brand Positioning
V1 mood board.
Expanding on the research from last class I would like to focus on The Divine Child strengths to help build on her positioning statement and key message. Using direct characteristic to assist in ideas in how I would like to see the brand.
The Divine Child is

• Caring -emotional, light blues and greens, soft reds
• Honest -organic, simple, straight forward or direct
• Informative -books, teachings, classes, owls, clean lines
• Helping -nurturing, growth
• Gentle -soft, touch
• Companionship -feminine, soft light colours,
• Passionate -bold, strong, love, life
• Personable -family, laughter, fun, creative, reliable 
• compassionate -heart, curves, sensitive 
• natural -organic, textures, earthy water colors
• dedicated -firm textures warm calming colours

Using these characteristic I was able to start work on a Positioning Statement.

Positioning Statement
The Divine Child Doula's passion for birth inspires women to birth in awareness and confidence. Who's goal is to provide continuous emotional and informative support, during pregnancy, labor, and new born care. A helping hand for women and their families, so that they can enjoy a safe, gentle birth.

The Key message pillars

• emotional and informative support
• physical and emotional support so you can focus on your child's birth
• a helping hand for you and your family
• helping you build trust within
• trust within exudes confidence 
• emotional, caring, an unbiased approach 
• approaching birth with you in mind
• birth in awareness birth with confidence
• a belief in celebrating both mother and child

I would like to talk about the direction I have chosen to go in with this brand.
Based on what I've learned in the research phase, I've decided to take The Divine Child Doula in the direction of a hands on / hand crafted approach. Creating an opportunity to give this brand a less clinical look and a more organic, earthy, feel with a personal touch. I will attempt to do this through the use of textures / material, colours, typefaces and imagery. I would like to use soft colours, hand drawn elements, with a possible stamped or letter press look, keeping the imagery simple and clean.
Possibly silk screening on various objects to reinforce the brands identity.  My goal is to give the divine child doula's brand a feeling that when seeing her brand you feel welcomed, you see a person or friend rather then a company or business. I would like the brand to feel natural, fun and creative.
(thought of a possible use of different cute animal family stamp silhouette for various area of her business)
The divine child Doula brand inspiration is her passionate dedicated holistic approach to child birth. Caring for mother and children before during and after the birth.

Mood boards of possible direction and elements I would like to take the brand.

 Version 1

crafty look using natural textures organic feel

simple craft, hands on approach, letter press, stamp

textures, colours and background,

clean simple lines, bold delicate typefaces

Subeez cafe

Idea#1

The my first thought on my branding assignment. came up with companies like American Apparel, a towing company like busters or drake. Both ideas deal with each company having a negative feel around them. American Apparel has been getting a lot of negative press with its soft porn advertisement campaign, along with rude staff, and a owner that is equally as rude. Towing companies are generally associated with expenses, such as parking tickets, repair bills, and the cost of the tow itself. After much thought I decided to work on and get feedback on two companies. Both companies have a personal connection to me in some form or another. The first idea or company is Subeez Cafe, my second idea is to help brand The Divine child Doula Services. Subeez cafe I've worked at for about 7 years now and seen it at it most insanely busy times with lineup out the door and loud vibrant energy inside. Now it just seems to be coasting by, never super busy but just busy enough to bet by. The divine child is a small one person business, although it is busy it does need help in the branding and marketing side of things.

SUBEEZ CAFE Subeez Cafe is a centrally located restaurant located downtown core of Vancouver on the corner of Homer and Smithe. The cafe was established around 17years ago when yaletown was a little less developed and Subeez was a very unique dinning experience. As time went on its neighborhood grew and with this growth brought more people but also brought more competition to the cafe.

Although the competitors did okay Subeez managed to root itself as an authentic downtown dinning experiences, with its industrial gothic feel. A place in which its customers can relax have a good time and be themselves.

Subeez has a lot of strength working in its favor.

STRENGTHS

• its location, close enough to both areas for sporting events and concerts.
• a large room easily accommodates large parties
• reasonably priced food and drinks
• a unpretentious staff with a unique vibe
• the music selection can be very eclectic and forward thinking
• has a bit of a neighborhood pub feel
• great place to hangout and socialize with friends and family
• djs
• modern feel
• patio
• artsy
• has new condo building being built around it (potentially being a great neighborhood hangout)
• good food
• mostly positive reviews

As time went on Subeez Cafe gave an appearance of a place well lived in, a little rough around the edges and perhaps you could say its lost a bit of its shine which you would expect in a establishment thats been around for about 17years. This brings me to some of the weakness in the way in which Subeez is percieved.

WEEKNESSES

• Subeez is sending a mixed messages to it clientele and not allowing them to make their own decision is subeez a Bar, a Restaurant, or a Cafe.

• With the well lived in feel Subeez can be a bit cluttered or a bit under maintained.

• unusual art pieces (including a statue of an naked man)
• cluttered with nick-nacks and other odds and ends
• the bathrooms have these amazing art pieces in them, but they are run down and dirty looking.
• all though most of the reviews are good there as been a few occasions that it lack creativity.
• the music can be loud and abrasive at times, but more recently the music has changed from its forward and progressive to aneveryday run of the mill style of music.
• Some other views have mention that it hadn't changed much over the years and the decor looks dated
• the menus at Subeez are fairly straight forward but made of paper so the look dirty, stained, wrinkled, and torn in some places.
• little or no advertisment.
• the logo is clean and simple but may need a freshen up with its design.
• Subeez has a very large room so it can be a positive or negative thing. Negatively if it isn't busy then it looks really slow.

Overtime Subeez surroundings and environment have changed bringing with it some challenging competition.

THREATS

• New restaurants in the neighborhood like Section 3, Jimmy's Tapas Bar, along with the introduction of the Donnelly Group bars and pubs have all threatened the business for Subeez. smaller restaurants can feel more cozy and inviting.

Other threats may include

• the introduction of the HST
• the economy is not a good as it use to be, even as little as 5 years ago. people just don't have the extra spending cash to go out for dinner. I had a talk with one person who mention that he just doesn't have the cash to go out and when he does he doesn't tip anymore, which he seem to blame on the HST. a sense of being over charged for everything.
• with that said there is also a threat that older clientele has simply out grown Subeez, while the potentially new clientele hasn't heard of it, or it a place that has been dated and just isn't appealing to them in the the same way.

This brings us to think about what opportunities does Subeez have that that we can capitalize on and help establish Subeez once again not only as a Yaletown destination but a downtown Vancouver destination. Subeez has a chance to not necessarily change as a restaurant, but to improve on an already great space.

capitalizing on its uniqueness, its eclectic, artistic and modern industrial feel. changing little things like the menu design, and logo. Improving on how people perceive Subeez with modern up grads, and a friendly marketing campaign geared towards creating Subeez as a fun upbeat place to socialize with friends, a place for local can claim as their local watering hole.