The Hidden Comma: Love, Applied
When Laura came to me with her ideas for her affirming therapy practice Love, Applied Counseling, I knew it was going to be a special project.
Laura, a Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW) and relationship and sex therapist, had a strong sense of style and bold personality that come through in every interaction. She knew her brand inspirations from the jump, but wasn’t sure how to combine them into one cohesive identity.
Laura loved Art Deco-inspired design and decor, in addition to intense, statement-making colors. And, as a queer Latina, Laura knew she wanted her branding to incorporate her Taíno cultural heritage. We found a way to combine all of these important parts of her personality, identity, and more!
Laura’s practice name includes an important comma: Love, Applied. This comma is an intentionally inclusive punctuation mark, acknowledging how love exists in many, many forms:
Self Love
Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, and Love
Love and Chronic Illness
Daily Practices of Love
Love in Non-Traditional Relationships
Making Love
Nitty Gritty Couples Work
How to Be Loving
Love in Our Families of Origin
Current Models of Love
Love as Embodiment
Love in the Midst of Existential Crises
This affirming comma is the foundation of her branding, building a bird that both evokes a crisp Art Deco aesthetic, while reflecting the Eternal Lovers symbol found in the Taíno culture, indigenous to the Dominican Republic.
The Love, Applied brand design also sneaks in a fun reference to Laura’s love of steampunk imagery, placing the bird's tail in the center of interlocking gear icons that highlight her tagline — “Working Out Life’s Kinks.”
These special touches make the branding meaningful to Laura, while making a bold statement of inclusive and affirming care for her clients.
