Logo Design - Branding - VISUAL IDENTITY

From Canva to Confidence: A Brand That Finally Matches the Mission

Brand Refresh for Garrett Learning: Levelling Up from Startup to Established Facilitator

Wendy Garrett is the founder of Garrett Learning, a Worcestershire-based learning and development business specialising in Mental Health First Aid training, facilitation and coaching. After graduating from Bournemouth University with a degree in Licensed Retail Management, Wendy spent years in the demanding hospitality industry across London and Manchester, where she experienced firsthand the toll that poor wellbeing support can take on teams. That experience shaped everything that followed. Since retraining as a Trainer and Assessor in 2012 and becoming a qualified MHFA England instructor, Wendy has personally trained over 1,200 people in practical mental health skills. Her work centres on creating psychologically safe workplaces where difficult conversations feel possible, leaders are equipped to support their teams, and nobody has to struggle alone. Garrett Learning’s approach is warm, facilitative and community-focused, positioning Wendy not as an expert above her participants, but as a fellow learner who creates spaces for curiosity, connection and collective growth.

When Wendy first approached us, she was refreshingly honest about where she’d started. “I literally chose a 99p logo from Canva to get started,” she told us. It had done the job whilst she was testing the waters, but Garrett Learning had evolved far beyond those early days. Wendy was now an established facilitator with a growing reputation, a clear brand voice and ambitious plans for the future, including qualifying as a coach to support aspiring people managers. The brief was straightforward: she needed a brand refresh that reflected where the business actually was, not where it had been five years ago. She wanted to retain the vibrant red she’d become known for, but everything else was open for exploration. The challenge was to create an identity that balanced professional credibility with the warmth, approachability and genuine human connection that defines everything Wendy does.

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Our Approach: Brand Refresh Rooted in Symbolism and Growth

The breakthrough came when Wendy mentioned something she does with her learners: she gives them packets of sunflower seeds. It wasn’t a throwaway detail, it was the entire brand refresh strategy sitting right there in a small symbolic gesture. Sunflowers represent strength, resilience, positivity and continuous growth. One seed becomes one flower, which produces hundreds of new seeds, creating endless opportunities for growth and learning. It was the perfect metaphor for Wendy’s work facilitating development in others. But we didn’t want a literal, illustrative sunflower, we wanted something more abstract and contemporary that could work hard across multiple contexts.

We designed a circular icon composed of layered rings: three rings of petal shapes in subtly different shades of red, plus an inner ring of grey seed shapes. Each ring is a slightly different size, giving the mark an organic, hand-crafted feel that avoids feeling too corporate or rigid. The beauty of this design is its versatility. Yes, it’s a sunflower representing growth and resilience. But it’s also a spark, symbolising ignition and curiosity, two words Wendy uses constantly in her work. And it’s a circle, representing community and connection, the foundations of everything Garrett Learning stands for. This multi-layered symbolism means the brand refresh works across all of Wendy’s services, from Mental Health First Aid training to coaching and facilitation, without being limited to any single interpretation.

For typography, we selected Dongle Bold, a warm sans-serif font with beautifully bold capitals and calm, approachable lowercase letters. It’s round without being childish, confident without being aggressive, perfectly reflecting Wendy’s voice: professional, warm and genuinely facilitative. The colour palette retained Wendy’s signature vibrant red alongside rich red, deep red, black and white, giving her flexibility to create visual hierarchy whilst maintaining the bold, energetic presence she’s known for. We delivered a complete Logo Plus Package including all logo variations, a comprehensive brand voice document and detailed brand guidelines, equipping Wendy with everything she needed to implement the brand refresh confidently across her website, social media presence and client-facing materials.

Wendy’s response to the final brand refresh said it all: “I went in not exactly knowing what I wanted apart from the colour red. The team were extremely patient and came back to me with so many variations and styles and eventually we got a new, fresh design. Great work and I feel so proud of what it now symbolises!”