Ananda Meditation
The Client
Sydney Cutler Abich is a certified Divine Sleep® Yoga Nidra instructor. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Boston University and a Master's Degree in Social Work with healthcare and mental health concentrations from Barry University and has specific expertise in the world of healthcare after 20 years of experience as a medical social worker.
Sydney’s purpose is to serve ALL bodies and ALL communities seeking deep rest and healing, in order to delight in the Divine goodness we all possess.
The Project
Sydney’s site already existed on the 7.0 Squarespace platform connected to events, scheduling, and payments. Rather than spending time and energy moving over to platform 7.1, we decided to stay on the old platform and re-design. The site was fairly basic so there was a lot of room to play and add design elements that could be repeated throughout the branding.
The Design
Sydney had a logo she wanted to keep. I was curious what it represented for her. Here’s what she said:
“One of the main aspects of the practice of Yoga Nidra is mentally moving through five layers of being. These layers of being are called Koshas and symbolize five bodies which surround the Soul (or the Divine, or the Self, or whatever that means to the practitioner): the physical body, energetic body, mental/emotional body, intuitive body, and the bliss body. In drawings, these appear as concentric circles surrounding the Soul. However, I definitely didn't want my logo to look like a bullseye! The graphic designer who made my logo is a dear friend and fellow Yoga Nidra guide, and he came up with this representation for me.”
Something clicked.
I ran with the representation of the five layers. I had already collected many stock photos for this project, so I started layering them into photo collages, including some within concentric circles to echo the five layers of being in Yoga Nidra.
Design Drafts
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Light
Classic "light" design that feels like a sunny morning and warm squares of light. I focused the images on brighter colors and light shining.
I expanded the color palette of the logo a bit but continued to lean heavily on the greens — mostly white and light green backgrounds.
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Dark
A darker version that feels like you're peeking in on a quiet afternoon nap. I focused the images on shadowy liminal spaces.
I expanded the color palette a bit but continued to lean heavily on the greens — mostly dark green backgrounds.
Sydney says…
Working with Elizabeth was so easy and so much fun. She asks insightful questions that helped me get clear on my vision and preferences, which she then executed beautifully. My new website design gorgeously conveys my personality, philosophy, and teaching style — so important for a new small business. I believe my new website will be the catalyst to attracting business and am so grateful to Elizabeth for creating this lovely pathway to joy for my clients. I would definitely work with her again!