Market St. Mortgage: Logo & Brand Design

Six years ago, I was just finding my way back to work after my son Theo was born. I was conflicted and unsure of myself, and wondered if I had lost my touch and some of my magic in my months away on maternity leave.

That’s when I met Angela. We created the Soho Waterworks brand together, and it was the best branding work I’d ever done. I realized that my time away and this new mama part of me made me even better at what I do, especially when partnering with amazing like-hearted souls like Angela.

The years since have been the best and hardest of my life, with the bittersweet result of me stepping back from branding work and leaning into my design classes in this unpredictable season. It’s been one wild ride.

Six years later, in this cracked open space, Angela and I met once again. As it turns out, she had been navigating her own transformative journey over the last few years, and the fates brought us together for a new collaboration — Market St. Mortgage. I couldn’t be more excited to partner with Angela again years later, and couldn’t be more proud to share the magic we created together.

Behind the Branding

The Market St. Mortgage brand appeals to modern homebuyers who are overhwhelmed by the mortgage process and need a trusted confidante to provide a personal and tailored approach to find where their homebuying dreams and financial needs meet.

The brand’s style is fresh and fun yet refined, welcoming and warm yet established and trustworthy. The identity reflects the personality, passion, and experience behind the brand while uniquely custom logo and graphic elements set the brand apart and speak to what makes Market St. Mortgage so special.

Inside the Logo Design

The Market St. Mortgage logotype uses a fresh yet timeless sans serif typeface as a base, with a unique typographic twist of the shared “M” between the words “Market” and “Mortgage.” This playful touch speaks to Market St. Mortgage as the meeting point between buyers and lenders, as well as between the homebuyer’s dreams and financial reality.

Meanwhile, “St.” is set smaller in an extended sans serif typeface, perched next to “Market” as a subtle nod to a street sign with a modern and sleek twist.

The Market St. Mortgage logotype is designed to read well, even at small sizes, and be extremely versatile.

Inside the Brand Mark

The Market St. Mortgage mark depicts a stylized key icon, which blends sleek simplicity with elegant curves.

The circular top of the key holds organic linework inspired by gothic window panes with a modern spin. This linework echoes the center of the “m” letterform from the brand’s logotype where the two halves of the letter meet, just like the meeting of the buyer’s dreams and financial reality. The linework branching out also symbolizes the network of relationships and trust the Market St. Mortgage brand is built on.

While the key is a perfect symbol of homeownership, it also alludes to the wealth of knowledge and experience that homebuyers unlock when they partner with Market St. Mortgage.

The mark pairs well with the logotype and can also be used on its own, both at small and large sizes.

Beyond Branding

I make it a point with my branding clients to include at least one piece of brand collateral in their package for a few different reasons. It gives my clients a head start as they prepare to launch their new brand, offers an example of how their branding should look when used well, and gives my clients a taste of what it’s like to continue collaborating beyond their branding. Everyone wins!

Angela had been through my full Signature Branding process before with Soho Waterworks, but we kept it a bit simpler in this new venture with my Brand Essentials package and just one piece of collateral included.

We started out with creating business cards, but as it often goes with my clients, we had so many amazing ideas for the brand and loved working together so much that before I knew it, we were also designing a thank you card, letterhead, stickers, and the new MSM website too. No complaints here! There’s nothing I love more than continuing to partner with my clients and make more brand magic together.

Since my design career started with print design, it’s always such a fun task for me and I love starting to see how the brand comes to life and begins to live and breathe through each new piece we create.

The Market St. Mortgage website deserves its own day in the sun, and I’ll be back to share more on that very soon. In the meantime, I’ll let Angela’s words on the branding process and our partnership speak for themselves.

“Before working with Melissa, I was feeling a little lost with my brand. I had an idea of what I wanted, but I couldn’t quite nail it down in a way that felt true to my business. I started working with Melissa, and everything changed. She helped me dive deep into what my brand is really about, and it felt like all the pieces started coming together.

When Melissa first showed me the new branding, I was blown away. It was like she brought my vision to life in a way I couldn’t even imagine! Everything just felt right—the colors, the logo, the vibe—it was all so on point. The first time she showed me the website design, I could barely breathe it was so perfect.

The whole process was super smooth, but what really stuck with me was how Melissa listened to every little thing I said and made sure my voice was front and center. Now, whenever I share my brand and website, people are constantly saying how professional and polished it looks—and I owe that all to her!

If you're thinking about working with Melissa, do it. She’s not only talented but truly cares about making your brand feel like you. It was hands down one of the best decisions I’ve made for my business!”

I can’t describe how much I’ve enjoyed partnering with Angela again and getting back into the rhythm of branding work after the rollercoaster of the last few years. After being a stay-at-home working mama for the last 6 years, getting back to brand design feels a bit like coming home as I rediscover these bits of myself that have been laying dormant.

For anyone in a similar boat (especially the mamas), I hope it helps to hear that those pieces of you aren’t lost. They’re just waiting. And when the time is right, you’ll emerge and shine again. Keep the faith, friends.

I’m so thrilled to finally be sharing the beautiful Market St. Mortgage branding, and you can see more of this stunning brand in my new portfolio.

I am also pleased to report that I’m booking new branding projects for like-hearted souls once again. It feels so good to be back. ✌️