04. Clever Belle
In 2015 I co-founded an online art & apparel company geared towards female youth who enjoy Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The designs regularly featured famous women in these areas and their accomplishments. We focused every aspect of the business on bringing some goodness to the world. From designs meant to inspire, providing free educational activities for parents to download, utilizing American made materials & eco-friendly inks, to sourcing all of our printing through a local non-profit screen printer employing adults with autism. We also donated a portion of proceeds to local charities and raised awareness for different social issues through various campaigns.
Role
I was responsible for the creative direction of all print and digital assets. I created the brand identity, an ecommerce website, contributed and oversaw product design, brand collateral, multi-channel ad campaigns, in-store banners, signage, flyers, promotional cards, email campaigns and photography. I also filmed and edited several videos to raise funding through a Kickstarter campaign.
Problem
My three fellow co-founders and I had several things in common. First, we were all siblings! We knew we’d make a great team with our combined backgrounds in sales, marketing, law, K-12 counseling and design. We also knew we could put our heads together to create a unique business close to our hearts and bring some good to our community. It took some time to discover what our product and model was going to be. Eventually one of my sisters sparked the idea when she was out shopping for her young daughter and couldn’t find unique t-shirts.
Discovery
At the time, it was very difficult to find clothing options for girls that catered to interests in STEM. Researching online, sending surveys through social media, and holding several small focus groups with local parents and daughters proved there was a growing demand and little to no competition. We found our niche in the t-shirt game. We would create apparel for girls that would be more than flowers and princesses. The designs would promote intelligence is beautiful and give girls the opportunity to proudly express more unique interests.
Solution
First we needed startup capital. We raised over $15,000 through a two week crowdfunding campaign to fund our first launch of shirts. We partnered with a local non-profit printer and I created an online ecommerce website to sell our products. We also partnered with local boutique shops to get inventory into brick and mortar stores. We expanded our product line to include posters, stickers, learning activities and various work from other artists who partnered with us. We utilized social media and email campaigns to advertise.
Evaluation
By keeping a close eye on online reviews and customer feedback we maintained a high level of quality product and service. My partners held regular small focus groups with parents and daughters to determine pricing, color preferences, topics and areas of interest for our continued product line evolution. In 2020, with the pandemic in full swing and most of us also working full-time jobs, it became too much to maintain a healthy work/life balance. We decided to close shop but agreed it was a great experience and hope to begin another business adventure some day.
Branding
We wanted to convey both beauty and intelligence in our name and logo. After finding countless ideas already trademarked, I came up with Clever Belle. The logo eventually evolved into what I call the “Fox Flower” - a tulip and fox silhouette with contrasting script and bold sans-serif fonts to again represent beauty and brains.
