Naming My Business: Where did 'The Peacock & The Printmaker' come from?
People often ask me where my business name came from. A lot of artists just use their name. I often think The Peacock & The Printmaker sounds like a fairytale - in fact one of my friends wants me to write a children’s story with that name. Maybe one day but for now I’m far too busy enjoying getting my hands covered in ink.
How it All Started…
When I first decided to put my artwork on Instagram I was terrified - it was only a hobby after all. I was terrified of people’s opinions and of what to say. I had no clue about photographing my work and it certainly wasn't meant to be a business yet.
For the sake of setting up an account I chose the handle heatherdoesprints. It was very Ronseal but that’s me really. People asked about buying my prints so I set up an Etsy shop in the same name.
A Name Change
After a while though I started thinking about my side hustle as a REAL business and wasn’t happy with the name ‘Heather Does Prints’. Let’s face it - it doesn't;t ooze creativity as a name. I could have just called it Heather Moore Art. That would have been simple and to the point but I wanted something that showed something about me.
A good friend asked me ‘What is it that you really do? What animals inspired you or make you feel happy?’ The answers - printmaking and peacocks.
Ideas started to percolate…
Why Peacocks?
I remember vividly Sundays when we’d unclip the roof from my dad’s kit car and leave it in the back garden. We’d jump in and head to Walton Gardens in Warrington, the wind coming at my brother and I at speed in the back seat.
When we arrived, we’d make a bee line for the little ‘zoo’ (For those of you from the North East, it was our Pet’s Corner), where I’d seek out the peacocks and watch in awe as they fanned their feathers to attract attention.
Those memories are really special to me and manifested themselves in my logo (and artwork in the first few years).
I love the confidence that peacocks exude and try to take that into my day. I am an artist and here to share my gift with the world, bring joy just like a peacock does with his feathers.
Creating the Logo
Let me start by saying that a brand is so much more than a logo. Arguably the logo is the least important part in many cases but mine holds my brand together.
I’d already created some peacock prints and doodled peacock feathers EVERYWHERE so the sketches came pretty easily. I had already toyed with creating a font so my sketchbook was full of ideas that just needed pulling together.
The Rebrand
By the time it came to launch the new name, I was building my own website too so I launched the new name at the same time - it felt scary and exciting at the same time. I was finally taking myself seriously as an artist, although I still had a lot to figure out. That’s the thing though, the journey is never over. You don’t pick a name, log and build a website then leave it. Businesses evolve just like your art style does.
The Peacock & The Printmaker was finally born. My own website, colours that fit the brand, a brand that represented me - all created by me. It was a huge amount of work but I adore it all still to this day.
The purple in the sketch became a different shade of blue and I later tweaked the colours slightly. The original logo had some grey in the background - the shadow of the first print I ever put out in public (I only made 3 and these belong to me and 2 dear friends).
So there it is. A literary sounding name that reminds me to share my talents and the beauty of my art with confidence. It reminds me to strut my stuff like my inner peacock.
If you want to know more about starting or refining your own art business then artist mentoring is a great way to get experienced eyes on your specific business to help you create your dream.
