Client and Project

FarmSense is a USA-based innovative tech product that helps growers reduce losses from insect pests and lower dependence on pesticides to take the uncertainty out of pest management for better farming and a brighter future.

Why is it important, and how does it help? The agricultural industry loses more than $220 billion in crop damage each year because of insects. For decades, farmers have been stuck with few options for pest management. Most use sticky traps – a time-consuming and inaccurate method, followed by a broadcast spray of selected pesticides and insecticides. Still, sadly, these traps can also affect beneficial bugs that pollinate more than 70% of the global crop supply.

So, the FarmSense team formed by scientists and innovators developed a better way. Using computational entomological models, they created a real-time sensor that can help farmers make better decisions for pest management, saving time and potentially boosting crop yield. The team believes that leveraging the power of machine learning and computational modeling can help save lives, reduce hunger, and help developing countries achieve food independence.

The target audience they aim at is diverse, from big agricultural corporations to small family farms, from innovators and advisors with high tech-literacy levels to farmers that spend most time right in the fields and have no broad experience or tight connections to different software and applications. So, the team worked on the affordability and accessibility of the technology and strived to reflect that in the branding approach and website, helping them communicate with their clients and uncover the product’s benefits. Let’s check how the designers from tubik achieved that goal.

Identity Design

The branding design process started with extensive research covering the agriculture and ag-tech current state in the USA, the existing presence of the sector on the web, the pain points of the target audience, and the touchpoints of the brand communication.

Based on everything mentioned above, the key advantages of the product that branding had to transfer were defined as:

• sustainability
• affordability
• accuracy of real-time data
• rich information

As well, the team aimed at making a visual branding design system that would have a range from more strict and business-like to more illustrative and emotional.

One of the core tools supporting both emotionality and usability in brand design for FarmSense is color. The palette features bright contrast shades of natural colors employing the psychology of color and giving instant visual connection to the topic of agriculture, summer, soil, fields, insects, and plants: green, orange, yellow, and blue. The latter is also traditionally associated with tech-related and digital products.

Having agreed upon colors, the team started working on the logo. The initial logo design approach was based on data as a core of the problem-solving power of the product. The creative search based on that resulted in a set of brand sign options reflecting that idea via lines and dots forming abstract shapes and building association with digital data processing and statistics visualization as well as fields seen from the bird-watch perspective. The basic shape chosen for the brand symbol was a circle.

Here’s a glance at the logo design process, from sketches through variations to the polished sign. The first version of the symbol developed in this direction was an abstract round sign consisting of vertical lines.

First sketches to think over the idea and find the composition

Digital symbol development

Testing the symbol with the brand name typographic part

Monochrome version of the combination mark

The version of the symbol with soft edges

Icons designed to test how the symbol can be further developed into other types of graphics

Another idea for the symbol at this stage of the creative search was to transfer the visual metaphor of the insect or the sun rising above the field, shaped by the lines. The latter was taken into deeper consideration.

Logo symbol sketching stage

Digital logo symbol development

Combination mark for the brand identity

Monochromatic version of the combination mark

The set of branded items was also presented to show how this version of the logo and color palette could work for various marketing goals: banners, printed advertisements, social media posting, business cards, etc.

Although the general idea looked effective, after discussions with clients and deeper testing, we together made the decision to move to another iteration, as this version of the symbol, even looking different, could bring up associations with some political campaigns that took place earlier in the USA. So, the second approach was also based on aerial views on the fields of crops, but this time irregular and asymmetric, cut by roads in various directions.

For this version, the color palette excluded blue, and the basic shape was square. The creative search was done on the sign composition and detailing.

The idea development resulted in the bright three-color symbol with a moderate level of detail and a bold, readable typographic part.

And here’s how it could be developed into the design system for branded items.

Posters design

Truck livery design

However, the deeper the team dived into the visual concept for the FarmSense brand, the more the client’s team got certain that they would like to combine the discussed approach and palette to their existing logo and reconsider it to make its design bright, up-to-date, and recognizable as well as flexible for various communication objectives.

The previous FarmSense logo

So, the final iteration started at the intersection of the existing logo and the ideas considered in the previous versions. The logo had to become simpler and less detailed to stay clear and informative in various sizes and get packed into a new color palette giving a quick connection to both agriculture and digital technology. Again, it started from basic sketching to think over the idea and moved to the polished logo.

Finally, the option with strict thin lines and a thin, elegant sans-serif typographic part was chosen as an approved brand sign.

So, based on that solution, the consistent set of branded items was designed for indoor and outdoor advertising and brand communication.

Billboards and banners designed for outdoor advertising

Business card design

Rollup design

Exhibition stand design

Truck livery design

With the brand graphics above, it’s also easy to see that another important aspect of identity design for FarmSense was creating custom illustrations. They covered four major goals:

• pictures set the atmosphere and apparent association with the agricultural theme
• specially created graphics helped to visualize the flow and benefits of highly-technological processes which are hard or even impossible to show via photos or videos
• custom graphics helped the brand to stand out of the crowd among the players in the agricultural sector, mostly using photo content which is often quite generic and just setting the theme
• the hero illustrations featuring people added a powerful human element and made brand communication more friendly and emotional

The creative process for the illustration also moved from rough sketches to present the idea and discuss it with the clients to the transformation of the approved ideas into bright digital artworks. Here’s a glance at the process for hero illustrations which had to become one of the first visual touchpoints of the product introduction on the website as a channel of communication.

And here’s the process for creating custom graphics reflecting the main benefits of the FarmSense technology.

Web Design

The next stage of customer experience design, extending the efficiency of the product presentation and amplifying brand communication online, was redesigning a website. At the initial stage, the team worked on developing a structure that would be effective and straightforward for the diverse target audience of the product.

Overview of the UX wireframing stage to consider the solid and straightforward website structure and navigation

At the UI design stage, the bright branded colors were used not only for illustrations and other graphics but also as background colors for different website sections, supporting usability, scannability, and readability of web pages.

Here’s a glance at the home page of the website, catchy, friendly, and informative, amplifying the message with a hero illustration sharing the peaceful, sunny, and positive atmosphere and giving instant connection to the topic of farming that employs modern technology.

The set of original illustrations used across the website pages proves itself as a powerful tool for visual communication and storytelling. It supports the text content, sets the mood, and helps establish consistency and integrity in the website’s performance.

Also, an infographic with custom illustrations was created to visualize how the technology works and make its benefits more accessible.

Here’s a closer glance at the set of artistic color icons supporting different text messages and creating visual triggers for essential functions or benefits to make them more noticeable and well-organized for website visitors.

To make the website work effectively and look attractive on any device, the tablet and mobile versions were also well-thought-out. They were arranged to provide a smooth and integral user experience at any stage of interaction.

For our team, the FarmSense project was a great chance to collaborate with the representatives of the modern ag-tech industry developing with a rocketing speed now and utilizing innovations to improve farming experience and outcome, which is crucial for the whole world.

New design case studies from our team are coming soon. Stay tuned!

More Design Case Studies

Here’s a set of more case studies sharing the design solutions and approaches for some of the design projects done by the Tubik team.

Nibble Health. Identity and UX Design for Healthcare Fintech Service

ProAgenda. Identity and Website Design for Golf Management Service

BlockStock. Brand Identity and Website for Minecraft Models Resource

Kaiten. Identity and Product Design for Food Marketplace

THT. Website Design for Electrical Engineering Service

Komuso. Website Design for Wellness Tool

Nonconventional Show. Website Design for Podcast

Fulfill. Illustrations and Web Design for 3PLs Marketplace

Glup. Delivery App Branding and UX Design

BEGG. Brand Packaging and Web Design for Food Product Ecommerce

Crezco. Brand Identity and UI/UX Design for Fintech Service

Carricare. Identity and UX Design for Safe Delivery Service

Originally written for Tubik Blog, graphic and video content by tubik

Сообщение Case Study: FarmSense. Brand Identity and Website Design for Agricultural Technology появились сначала на Design4Users.

Logo for Dry Cleaning and Laundry Service

This logo is designed for Levapp, the company providing on-demand dry cleaning and laundry services. The identity design is based on simple shapes that, if you look closer, form a combination of L and A in a symbol, presented in a lovely and catchy color combination.

The branding sign is amplified by a smooth and dynamic motion for the options of use in digital products.

Logo and Identity for Traveling Service

Here’s a glance at the logo and identity design for gotikket, the company that offers an easy-to-use service helping travelers to cover their needs. The wordmark shares a positive mood and is balanced with a contrasting bold color palette.

To add even more fun and make the logo lively, here’s an animated version.

Logo for Bakery

This is a logo design and branded packaging concept for a small bakery, Gustavo, named after its founder. Custom illustration featuring the baker’s silhouette is combined with a sophisticated typography part for the brand name and contrasting sans-serif font for the explanatory part.

Logo animation to be used for the goals of web marketing adds even more elegance and smoothness to the idea.

Logo for AI-Based Chatbot Service

This symbol has been designed for Ortico, the platform producing and supporting AI-based conversational user interfaces and bots. Logo animation allows for making the smooth curves of the brand sign even more expressive for digital interactions.

Logo for Flight Rights Protection Company

This symbol has been designed for Aviar, the company that deals with flight rights protection. The designer created an elegant and bold symbol playing with visual metaphors of a plane and shield combined with the power of negative space.

Logo for Wine Brand

Shpin’s wine is a brand that originates in a small winery, where the love of wine has grown into a family business. It involves the whole family in the process of creating a unique and exclusive wine based on the tradition of classic winemaking. We’ve shared the creative process for the brand identity earlier in the case study: idea search, logo design, original illustrations inspired by art, and integration of all that stuff into the web interface. Take a look at the final logo variant.

Logo for Heavy Blankets Brand

Here’s the logo designed for GNO Wellbeing, the brand that produces and sells heavy blankets that let people get a good sleep that helps them to achieve their goals.  Through creative search and iterations, the team came up with a final logo: a beige outline logo symbol of a sleeping moon accompanied by a solid and simple typography part.

Logo and Brand Mascot for Party Game

Here’s a glance at the branding design for a fun party game called Dicey. The creative process for this project didn’t get separate parts for the logo and mascot character. The wordmark uses smooth lines; it’s elegant and stylish but also playful and friendly.

Logo for Photo Sharing Service

This is a brand sign for Eyepic, the new-age photo-sharing service. The concept features color variations for the dark and light backgrounds as well as options for the vertical and horizontal composition of the elements in the combination mark. Also, you can see the design solution for the app icon.

Logo for Food Delivery Service

Quisine is an innovative service that delivers food of different national cuisines. It’s easy to use; it offers a big diversity of meals typical for different countries; it provides quick delivery and adds innovations to the entire customer journey, from making an order to receiving a meal. That’s what the brand image was based on. The company name presents a compilation of two aspects: quick cuisine. two contrast colors were chosen for the brand presentation, yellow and black.

The choice of the font for the final logo was made in favor of serif to share the vibes of high-quality meals and fine dining.

Logo for CRM Service

This sign has been designed for the digital product, a CRM system that helps to manage clients, segment audiences, and make communication more productive and focused. The logo presents a combination mark, including a symbol and a typographic part for the brand name. The elements of the logo work well both together and separately, depending on the branding and marketing goals. The color palette combines the feelings of energy and stability that lie at the core of such a service.

Logo for Crypto Startup

This logo has been created for the cryptocurrency startup called Enigma. The combination mark includes a symbol and a typographic part for the brand name. The elements of the logo work well both together and separately, depending on the branding and marketing goals.

Logo for Healthcare Service

Not only purely commercial and business projects need a solid brand strategy and identity design. Charities, healthcare, education, and the like also have to care about their branding to get a chance to connect to their target audience. Here’s a symbol created for a health service focused on cardio problems and helping people to keep their hearts healthy. The logo is aimed at being used on a wide variety of carriers and media, both offline and online.

Logo for Car Cleaning Service

This one has been designed for the mobile app of Cleanerz, a service that provides innovative car cleaning on the spot with the use of eco-friendly technologies. For the brand logo and an app icon, the lettermark was chosen and transformed into a dynamic sign combining the energy of water and the power of fast movement.

Today’s list is over, but studio practice is full of many other interesting examples of design concepts for different purposes and needs. Don’t miss new presentations and case studies in our future posts.

Useful Articles

Here’s a set of articles for those who search for insights into logo design and brand identity creation.

Branding Design Process in Tubik: FAQ from Clients

Collection of Creative Logos for a Variety of Brands

Logo Design: Creative Stages

Basic Types of Efficient Logo Design

Shape and Color in Logo Design. Practical Cases

How to Use Mascots in UI and Branding

Why and When Brand Needs an Animated Logo

6 Creative Stages of Branding Design

Originally written for Tubik Blog, graphic and video content by tubik

Сообщение 14 Logo Design Cases for Different Business Goals появились сначала на Design4Users.

Check more animations by Alex Gorbunov in his Dribbble portfolio.

New D4U Gallery issues are coming soon, keep up with the news.

For more inspiration, check the examples of ultra-minimalistic product designs, awesome food and tableware photography, realistic 3D portraits, impressive packaging designs, dog illustrations, childhood illustrations, 3D illustrations, book cover designs, and other posts from our D4U Gallery where we gather impressive creatives to share their art with you.

Сообщение 15 Animated Logo Design Concepts by Alex Gorbunov появились сначала на Design4Users.

Many things are going on in the background of the process, which, although we cannot see, we know to exist. However, when it comes to logo design, the complex processes in the background are much less visible, which is why it seems to some that it is easy to do and that anyone can do it.

The best example on which we can see how the value of a logo changes at the beginning of creating a particular brand in relation to the peak of the process of branding and monetization of its value is certainly the fashion industry.

There is more than a clear and tangible difference because certain items initially cost only a few dollars (euros, pounds, whatever currency), while later (many years later), with the help of branding and powerful marketing tools, they gain in value and it is a logo that sells every product at a high price. Well-known fashion brands often change their logos because they have to keep up with trends and follow the latest design tendencies. And they change not only their logos but also the design of the websites they have built for the business. Of course, a website doesn’t have to have only just one purpose. You can create pretty much any type of website you can imagine, either solely for business, an online store to sell your products or services, or a website for your business that also has an online store.

Now let’s go back to the process of creating a logo and its complexity. We said that some people think that it is easy to make a logo and do not understand how one can cost 30 euros, another 300, and some even 3,000. That is why we are going to clarify it in the next segment.

How Much Does One Logo Cost?

It seems that this is a simple question, to which the answer should ONLY contain a specific figure, and it will be considered clear enough. The price of a logo is one of the most searched terms on Google search, probably because all entrepreneurs, before starting to build their business, first make a business plan and determine a budget (in which, as one of the items, they put down the logo). So, maybe it seems simple, but it is not easy to give an implicit, short answer and satisfy all curious clients.

Whether you own a bakery, pastry shop, startup, or IT company, on many levels, it is essential to understand what and how much it means to have a well-designed logo. This is equally important for a company with only two employees, as well as for one with 2,000 or 20,000. Of course, the larger the number of people who will see the logo, the more critical it becomes.

A logo is the first element that customers see when they first encounter a brand. The logo is, initially, there to raise brand awareness, and then, over time, it becomes a recognizable element to which customers bond and, through it, build trust with the brand. It is also there to make customers feel a kind of emotional connection to the brand.

Now that we are familiar with the importance of a brand logo, it is time to explain what is included in the price and how it is formed when it comes to creating a logo.

What Determines the Price?

When determining the cost of creating a logo, designers keep in mind a few things. The client must be presented with a specific amount of work and what problem is being solved. Let’s start from the beginning.

Expertise

This should be considered and decided to whom from the team to leave the creation of a logo. Suppose one of the designers specializes in a specific industry and is much better at it than working on another project. In that case, his knowledge of a certain industry will always be chosen.

Urgency of designing

If the client needs a logo within, say, 48 hours, then it is clear that such a logo creation speed will require a special price. It is understood that the quality must be the same when working with the logo for 48 hours or when working much longer. However, the deadline for designers means that, if it is short, they have to work, think, and create faster, and if the deadline is more extended, then there is room for improvements, beautifications, and adjustments.

Project specification

This is a detail that plays an essential role in determining the price. This part is discussed and agreed upon with the client. For example, how many logo revisions the agency needs to do (that is, how many audits the client is entitled to). It is then agreed on how many different design solutions the client wants (whether it is three or four, for example). In addition to these two things, it is crucial, e.g., in which formats the client requests that the logo be delivered. These are just three short examples of how in detail designers negotiate with clients and what is important to reach mutually acceptable terms and prices.

Logo Value

After we wrote about the price and how it is formed, we want to emphasize what is most important when it comes to the value of the logo and that these are not any numbers and figures.
It would help if you didn’t view the value of the logo as an ‘abstract’ category, but that, on the contrary, you can very clearly determine by items how a quality logo will affect your business. Below we will briefly explain why a well-executed logo design is valuable for the brand and why you do not want to pay cheaply for the logo because it will cost you much more later.

Usage

Consider how much you will use the logo in your daily business life. This is a significant issue, which should be well understood. A clearly designed logo can last a long time and can be used in many ways and applied on different surfaces. This way, you will be able to use it for years on your website, business cards, packaging, social networks, and all other means you use for marketing purposes. Now try to imagine how many people come in contact with your logo and how it contributes to the greater visibility of your company. However, it still helps you in a way that your company has a professional visual identity.

Yes, you are right. It isn’t easy to estimate how many people see your company’s logo every day (sometimes, probably several times during the day) and how they react to it. Do they remember it, do they recognize it after a specific time, or do they not pay attention to it at all?

Reusable use of the logo in relation to, e.g., the flyer (which can be considered a disposable mean) is exactly why the price of the logo is higher. Much research and thinking are needed to make a logo to last as long as possible and be as relevant as possible.

Uniqueness

The logo is a key and essential visual element of the brand, and the brand is a central part of any business. What makes the difference between a successful business and one that never succeeds is a good brand. Your logo is part of the strategy by which you determine your business and how it will progress and develop. Besides, the logo is there to create a connection with customers, based on which customers will begin to recognize your brand and establish a relationship of trust with your business.

To achieve all this, your logo must be unique and authentic. It must represent your business down to the smallest detail, values, and mission because that is what your client will see first. How much is the first impression worth to you? Do you trust it?

Designer’s ‘Know-How’

We have all asked someone to do something for us that would take up only 5 minutes of his time. But we never thought it takes 5 minutes for someone because it took them much more, many years, for educating, practicing, and making an effort to get to do something very complicated in so little time.
So, you will not pay just for the ‘picture,’ not even for the time to make one logo (although, of course, that is part of the price, not to be confused). You pay for a designer’s knowledge and expertise (years and years of someone’s doing a specific job and all the knowledge they acquired while doing that job). The neighbor’s kid “who knows something in Photoshop” cannot make a quality logo. However, he can certainly make a cheap one.

There are many things to pay attention to – is the logo balanced, in what format was it delivered to you, does it represent the brand’s message, is it enough to be in one color? Now, think again, is it really worth it to get a cheap logo?

Bottom Line

Most business owners see the logo as just another item on the ‘to do’ list, which they think they can make themselves in a simple graphic tool. But there will always be a huge difference between the two worlds – on one side, the world in which we have a creative agency and, on the other, a “neighbor’s son who is a graphic design enthusiast.”

Usually, in life, you always get what you paid for, so value your hard-earned money and provide your business with a quality logo. Appreciate a person who will forever play an essential role in developing your business (your designer) because the logo is exactly that – the critical part of your business. If you need to create a logo, always contact professionals.

About the author: Lars Isaksson is a Swedish freelance content writer that has been writing blogs and articles about topics valuable for websites dealing with digital marketing and the tech industry. 

Read more about basic types of logos and logo design stages, learn when and why an animated logo is a good idea, and check the collection of inspiring logos mastering negative space usage

Сообщение Real Value of Logo Design and Why It’s Worth Investing появились сначала на Design4Users.

Negative space – or white space, in other words, – is the area of the layout that is left empty. It may be not only around the objects you place in the layout but also between and inside them. It is a kind of breathing room for the object on the page or screen. It defines the limits of objects as well as creates the necessary bonds between them according to Gestalt principles and builds up effective visual performance.

Negative space in graphic design is often seen in logos, illustrations, posters, and creative lettering: for them, it becomes an active part of the visual presentation and makes key objects even more expressive. In this issue of D4U Inspiration, we’ve collected some examples of creative logo designs that apply such an approach. Enjoy and get inspired!

Logo designed by Tubik for Aviar, the company that deals with flight rights protection. The designer creates an elegant and bold symbol playing with visual metaphors of a plane and shield combined with the power of negative space.

Logo by Leavingstone uses the negative space to artistically combine the silhouette of a man’s head with a rolling sheet of paper.

Logo design integrating a symbol into a wordmark by means of negative space; designed by Roy Smith for a wildlife photographer and BBC Springwatch cameraman.

Sophisticated logo designed by Yoga Perdana and elegantly integrating the image into the wordmark

Stunning set of logos by Yoga Perdana mastering negative space for expressive branding and applying visual details connected to nature and animal world

Logo design by Alex Tass for Topus, a project focused on architectural 3D scanning/printing features number 1 combined with a T letter, both showed in perspective in the negative space.

Chat Robot logo design by Dmitriy Lepisov: the idea was to use negative space and combine letters C&R, a “+” sign, a chat symbol and a robot head in one logo.

Logo design exploration by Eddie Lobanovskiy visualizing swimmer in the wordmark.

Wordmark designed by Kakha Kakhadzen is based on contrast and negative space inscribing letter O into the word.

One more contrast-based logo design by Antonio Calvino uses negative space and visual details to integrate a letter into the word and making it playful with a splash of ink.

Don’t miss the collections of animated logos, animated illustrations, and other D4U Inspiration posts.

Сообщение Branding Inspiration: Creative Logo Designs Activating Negative Space появились сначала на Design4Users.

Today we describe visual components of a logo that are vital for compelling visual perception and also show practical cases of applying the psychology of color and shapes in design for branding.

Psychology in logo design

To make an effective logo, designers have to consider the tiniest components which it is built of and think about the influence they will have on potential clients. The science studying the impact of various factors on the human mind and behavior is known as psychology. Knowledge of psychological principles helps to understand human aspirations and motivations which means designers can predict the possible users’ reactions to certain solutions.

People may not notice but the mind often reacts to visual objects affecting the emotions and behavior. In our previous articles, we described two psychology branches that study the impact of shapes and colors on people’s visual perception. In short, each color and shape tend to be perceived with its own meaning, so when we look at a visual object our brain receives a certain message and reacts according to what we see.

Comprehending the role of the color and shape psychology, design expert can control the meaning a logo contributes. Each component chosen thoughtfully helps people read the meaning of the logo right.

Color in logo design

The research provided by Colorcom showed that it takes only 90 seconds for people to make a subconscious judgment about a product and between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone. That’s why the success of the brand strategy depends largely upon the colors chosen for the logo design.

Colors are a vital factor for not only the visual appearance of products but also brand recognition. In the article Color in Design: Influence on Users’ Behavior we described the meanings of common colors in branding and here is a short sum up.

Red. Confidence, youth, and power.
Orange. Friendly, warm, and energetic.
Yellow. Happiness, optimism, and warmth.
Green. Peace, growth, and health.
Blue. Trust, security, and stability.
Purple. Luxurious, creative, and wise.
Black. Reliable, sophisticated, and experienced.
White. Simple, calm, and clean.

The color choice shouldn’t be based on the common meaning alone. Visual perception is quite individual for everyone so the color effects may be different because of factors such as age, culture, and gender. For example, children like yellow color pretty much, but as we become adults it usually seems less attractive. Moreover, there are many cultural differences in color definition. To make sure the color will work effectively for a brand strategy, it’s vital to consider the preferences of the target audience.

Shape in logo design

As we already mentioned in the article devoted to the psychology of shapes, all the visual objects can be analyzed in terms of shape. People may not always notice what figures and shapes surround them still they have a great impact on our consciousness and behavior. Many years of research and tests have helped professionals to define what meaning each shape typically brings and how it can influence human perception. Let’s take a closer look.

Squares and rectangles meanings: discipline, strength, courage, security, reliability.
Triangles meanings: excitement, risk, danger, balance, stability.
Circles, ovals, and ellipses meanings: eternity, female, universe, magic, mystery
Spirals meanings: growth, creativity, calmness, intelligence
Natural shapes meanings: originality, organic, balance, refreshment
Abstract shapes meanings: the duality of meaning, uniqueness, elaborate.

Creating a logo, designers should work on the shapes applied as well as pay attention to the typeface chosen for the wordmark.

Practical cases

Tubik designers have great experience in creating compelling brand signs. Let’s see the logo design examples applying color and shape psychology.

LunnScape

The logo was created for LunnScape company specializing in landscaping services to commercial properties like office and courtyard spaces, parks, etc. A brand sign is presented with a mascot of a dragonfly. LunnScape company is based in Florida and the creature is a perfect representative of regional fauna. Moreover, a logo with an insect helps customers understand the nature of the services.

The dragonfly illustration has a simplified style so its wings look like flower leaves. The logo consists of several colors. Turquoise circle with a dragonfly gives a solid stamp effect and brings calming feelings. Also, the color is associated with refreshment and energy, so it creates the right mood around the brand. The wings of the dragonfly combine yellow and pink colors. Together these colors symbolize joy, warmth, and a bit of sensitivity making a dragonfly look playful. The wordmark typography complements and also unveils the core brand services of the company due to the thin and elegant font.

Andre

One more identity design project connected to the theme of landscape and nature was the logo for Andre Landscape. The final choice was made on the combination mark presenting the mascot in clear simple forms and elegant lettering echoing the rounded shapes. Symbol resulted in a new shape combining the visual concept of a bird and of a leaf in one image based on the circle. The rounded shape is easily associated with the universe and eternity, quite positive stuff to transfer the idea of professional land care. Color combination is also connected with the nature of the offered services with vibes of green and natural background.

Binned

This is the brand sign for trash bin cleaning service called Binned. A logo is presented with a lettermark featuring capital B as it associates with the brand name. The lines in the letter take the shape of waves evoking a sense of water and cleanliness. The logo is followed by the wordmark of the entire brand name. The chosen font is simple yet bold which makes it look neat and reflecting the mood of a brand.

The color palette includes tints of blue and green which give string associations of cleanness and refreshment. In addition, the blue color often represents some corporate images since the blue is the color of trust. It usually shows reliability, may give users calming feelings.

Reborn

The logo presents a self-service Chinese restaurant Reborn. The major philosophy of a brand is bringing in the modern way of automated ordering food in the restaurant industry and setting the link between traditions of healthy food and innovations. To transfer all these ideas and create an effective brand image, the red silk ribbon was featured as the initial letter in the wordmark.

The ribbon creates spiral shapes that bring a feeling of creativity and innovation. Moreover, it features a slight movement showing the restaurant as a modern business that moves with times.

Red is a traditional Chinese color so a logo lets customers understand the specifics of cuisine served at the restaurant. Also, red color demonstrates the confidence and youth of the service as well as contributes to better brand awareness due to its brightness.

Motion

This is a logo concept for a modern dance studio called Motion. The company participates in multiple directions of the dancing sphere like organizing classes and workshops, events, and tournaments.

The brand sign has the shape of a circle. Originally, this shape symbolizes eternity since it has no beginning or end. This way, a logo highlights the diversity of company services. Moreover, one of the common meanings for circles is motion so it perfectly reflects the brand’s name.

This logo concept provides a variety of color performance showing the flexibility of general brand strategy. The presented options include yellow, green, and blue colors. Yellow is a principal color which brings warm and playful emotions. Green and blue colors symbolize balance and harmony.

OrBeat

Another round logo was designed for OrBeat, the online platform for sharing digitized sound material like music, speech, and specific sound sets on the Internet. In addition, the service has the functionality of a social network so the shape sets the association with the circle of friends. Users can create their unique playlists, leave comments, listen to the tracks online, and share their sound collection with friends from other social networks.

So, setting the connection with the themes of music adding dynamics to everyday life, communication, and expressing the metaphor of orbit, the logo is based on rounded shapes and features the variety of shades associated with diverse content on the platform.

Whizzly

The logo is made for the social network Whizzly showcasing talents and sharing creative projects. The mascot is a monkey that looks quite pretentious because of the sunglasses. The choice of the character can be explained by the common associations connected with this animal. Monkeys are energetic funny representatives of fauna and they know how to draw attention. Rounded forms make the image dynamic and friendly.

As the brand’s target audience are talented people, the monkey displays its eccentricity. The colors include the gradient of violet and blue. They are easily associated with the lights which are often used on the stage. Also, we can see the reflection of the brand’s name in the sunglasses. It ensures better brand recognition.

fOxygenic

Here’s the concept applying branding symbol for an app icon. It features a logo for fOxygenic, a mobile application that represents a social network for people loving the active life, open-air sports and events. As you see, the mascot is based on a round shape. It may set different levels of association by the resemblance with “O” letter for the word “oxygen” applied in the brand name, motion and active life and the circle of friends as well as in OrBeat logo. Bright warm orange color reflects not only the traditional vision of a fox coloring but also the idea of dynamic life, joy, and great mood. Moreover, the color has high visibility potential which strengthens the icon’s recognizability.

SwitchUp

This is a branding sign for a music app SwitchUp with broad functionality on generating and sharing playlists. A logo features a wordmark and the form of a play button. This shape helps to set the link with the nature of the application. In addition, the keywords behind its branding are “bright”, “dynamic”, “fun” and “positive”, the reason why the triangle is an accurate choice. The thing is that the triangle is an energetic and dynamic shape that is associated with motion and direction. The color palette supplements the brand image bringing the feeling of energy and freshness.

Meditrack

The logo concept was designed for a medical app Meditrack used by doctors for planning and organizing the flow of appointments as well as tracking and saving health data for patients. It features the stylized track sign where straight lines go up and down similar to heart rating graph. The combination of blue, light blue and red colors is often associated with health care industry so creates a professional image for a brand.

The success of branding highly relates to logo design. Considering the influence of colors and shape on human psychology, you can create compelling brand signs which set the connection with the target audience by transferring accurate messages and emotions.

What to Read

Knock Design Into Shape. Psychology of Shapes

Color in Design: Influence on Users’ Actions

Animated Logos: Why, When and How to Use

Psychology in Design: How to Understand Users

Creative Stages of Efficient Logo Design

6 Creative Stages of Design for Branding

Originally written for Tubik Blog

Сообщение How Shape and Color Work in Logo Design: Practical Cases появились сначала на Design4Users.

Today we offer you another case study showing the way which a brand passes to get its face designed. In one of the recent projects, the Tubik team had the task of creating a logo for a landscaping business with further stretching the style and visual presentation on a number of items promoting the corporate identity. This challenge was assigned to graphic designer Denys Boldyriev.

Project

Redesign of corporate identity for landscape firm LunnScape.

Process

LunnScape is a company based in Florida, USA,  and specializing in landscaping services to commercial properties like office and courtyard spaces, parks, etc. The firm was founded by Steven Lunn in 2009: it’s easy to see that the brand name presents the harmonic combination of the founder’s name with the keyword “landscape”. Being already established and known on the local market, the company strived for refreshing the visual identity and putting its promotion to the next level. The client came to us with a very basic branding they already used and wanted a new design corresponding to the modern trends and requirements and enhancing the connection with the customers.

We had already had a chance to create a brand identity for a landscape firm – it was shared here in the case study on logo design and corporate branding for Andre. That made the challenge even more interesting, as the companies providing similar services had different approaches and vision of their brand images and needed new original looks. There is always the place for a creative perspective in design, which makes the job so cool.

For this project, we accomplished a set of tasks according to the client’s marketing strategy:

• landscape company logo
• slogan
• theme illustrations
• corporate letterhead, envelope, and business cards
• stationery
• corporate vehicle
• style guide.

Logo

Brainstorming ideas on the task to design a logo for a landscaping business, most people will imagine something connected with plants, flowers or their elements. That’s a natural and very quick association. Actually, that approach had also been followed in the previous version of the logo presented with a simple stroke image featuring a leaf. However, keen on getting fresh stuff which would distinguish the company from the competitors, the client stated the wish to step aside from the traditional associations and try other creative directions. They wanted the brand sign to be dynamic, immediately connected to the theme of nature but moving away from ideas and patterns typical of landscaping logo design.

As well as in the previous case study on identity for the Reborn restaurant,  early ideas were visualized in the quick pencil sketches to catch the possible silhouette of the future logo and discuss possible directions of creative search with the stakeholders. After that, the set of basic digitized options were offered. To make the picture full and ensure how far the logo should move from the common associations set, the designer provided a variety of options, as you can see below. Some of the options were visually connected to the plants and greenery, for example, the lettermark made of leaves, the image of a flower, the shapes of landscape site patches also resembling the flower petals. Also, there were shown the shapes of trees presented in balanced geometric forms giving the room for flexibility in a landscape logo design. The other options in this set were focused on dynamic images of living creatures like insects or birds.

So, it’s easy to see that in general, the creative search moved around two global themes, flora, and fauna, both effective to set the instant connection to the theme of nature and land care. Thinking about the number of factors, the client put their preference on the image of a dragonfly as a mascot. Here’s the next stage of the logo design process – construction of a symbol image.

For the variety of usage options, the mascot image was added with the wordmark featuring the company name and accomplished in a style harmonically corresponding to the mascot. So, the final LunnScape logo is designed as a mascot of a dragonfly in an aqua circle depicting one of the fauna symbols which habitats in Florida nature. The dragonfly visualizes a bright creature on a green lawn, besides, its wings look like flower leaves. Turquoise circle with a dragonfly gives a solid stamp effect as well as looks playful due to the color palette. The wordmark typography complements and also unveils the core brand services of the company.

Both the brand mark and wordmark go hand in hand to keep an ultimate balance for user’s perception and brand recognition. Having agreed and polished all the details in the landscape logo design, the creative team moved to the work on the slogan and corporate identity development.

Slogan

The next step of the creative process was to support design with copywriting: the company needed a new slogan, so the copywriter was also engaged in the project. Short and catchy, the slogan had to support the idea of the beauty made by people but rooting in natural harmony. What’s more, the slogan had to set the tight link with the logo, so that in combination they effectively supported each other.

The company name uses the altered version replacing the keyword “land” with “Lunn”, but still preserves the general structure of the word so that the word “landscape” could be easily restored in mind. Among several directions for the slogan, we developed the one which used the word “land” actualizing its double meaning: land as an object of services the company provides and land as the action of coming down through the air and rest on the ground or another surface. This approach enabled us to set the link with the logo featuring the dragonfly so that together they presented the clear message.

After discussing the several sets of variants, the final version of the slogan was agreed upon “Landed on nature beauty”.

Branded items

Stationery and business cards

The designer prepared a set of templates for company documents, including business cards, letterhead, and envelopes, that reflect the brand identity in an elegant, non-distracting way. It enabled to stretch the design solutions of logo design for the landscape company and give them flexible ways of usage for different business purposes. As you can see below, business cards and the title page of a letter blank used the stroke version of the logo applied to the combination of corporate colors.

Illustrations

Another task was theme illustrations which could be used for marketing needs in social networks and on the website. Creating landscaping identity, marketing and design specialists of today know that custom graphic assets used for online sources of communication play a crucial role in strengthening solid online presence and recognizability. After a bunch of experiments, the designer came up with graphics in an airy style applying soft pastel colors and light strokes. One of the illustrations features people busy with gardening while the second reflects the airy view on the public space with landscape design. Illustrations immediately set a precious connection with the theme of the landscaping.

Vehicle

At the next stage, the identity design process for LunnScape was carried through to other company assets, including the corporate truck livery, which features easily recognizable branding.

Style guide

The client was also provided with a full set of guidelines for logo and identity use, including color palettes, fonts, and placement. Practice shows that style guides play a strategic role in brand development: all the further contributors will get clear instructions about correct and wrong ways to use the graphics created for this project. The document included several sections and informed about the idea which became the basis of a logo, its structure and specifications, color and monochrome versions which could be used for a wide range of purposes. Also, it showed examples of incorrect usage in order to avoid poor visual performance. In addition, all the branded items were included in the guidelines and described in detail.

The challenge to create a logo for a landscape company definitely is not a step into the blue ocean: the competition in this field of services is quite high and diverse. However, the red ocean is always the chance for designers to boost creativity and dive deeper in search of original decisions.

More Case Studies

For those, who are interested to see more practical case studies with creative flows for a logo and identity design, here is the set of them.

Binned. Brand Identity Design for Cleaning Service
App Shack. Logo Design for Digital Agency
Reborn. Identity Design for a Restaurant
Andre. Corporate Identity Design for Landscape Firm
SwiftyBeaver. Logo for Mac Application
Saily. Logo for Local C2C E-Commerce Application
Case Study: PassFold. Logo for a Mobile App
Case Study: Ribbet. Logo for an Online Photo Editor

Originally written for Tubik Blog
If you want to know more about the creative stages of the design process for logos, welcome to read our free e-book «Logo Design»

Сообщение Design Case Study: LunnScape. Identity for a Landscape Company появились сначала на Design4Users.

Some people got used to thinking that only marketing specialists do all the job in branding. However, if you say it to professional designers, they’ll tell you how wrong you are. As an American graphic designer Paul Rand said: «Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.» The article tells about the essence of branding as well as the role of design in it. Also, we’ll define the key stages of effective brand creation.

What is branding?

Lately, the word “brand” has been commonly used as some trendy thing, especially in the fashion industry, so many people forget its true essence. According to BusinessDictionary, a brand is a unique design, sign, symbol, words, or a combination of these, employed in creating an image that identifies a product and differentiates it from its competitors. In other words, a brand is a visual representation which people correlate with a company or a product. An effective brand identity is the one which customers associate with a high level of credibility and quality.

However, powerful branding depends not only on aesthetic features of brand elements but on the details such as message and emotional appeal standing behind it. To create a proper brand identity, designers need to get deep into the details about business goals as well as do research on the market and its target audience. Here we’ve divided a branding process into six essential stages which designers need to go through on the way of brand creation.

The creative process of branding design for Andre

Stage 1. Business goals and brand personality

Of course, it’s not a designer who sets the goals of a company or defines its personality still it is a foundation for all the branding processes. To receive the expected results, the company has to set the priorities and values at the start point so that the crew working on branding could see which way to go. They do not necessarily need to be defined and used for all the cycle of brand existence. The goals can be modified later during a creative process but it’s vital to have some directives in the beginning.

Moreover, before designers start working on a visual part, they need to identify the character which the company or product wants to present. Designing a brand without this knowledge is like drawing a portrait from a photograph. You can do the copy quite right but the work won’t have an emotion in it. The same is with branding. If the clients didn’t provide a designer with a description characterizing their company, it’s good to ask for it. For example, designers can ask customers to make a list of 4-5 keywords describing their business, or at least what they want a company to be.

Practice shows that not all clients come to designers prepared. They may not think of details and ask only for an attractive visual presentation that will bring success to their business. There is nothing remarkable about it. Clients often see designers like artists creating beautiful pictures and you can’t expect them to know all the peculiarities of designers’ workflow.

In one of our previous articles, we’ve mentioned the role of psychology in design. It can be quite helpful on the way of understanding users’ behavior and their possible reactions to the design. Moreover, psychology principles can help designers establish effective communication with clients. There are many customers who are not certain about their desires and preferences and that’s when psychology assists. If a designer finds proper questions to ask, it will be easier to create a guide based on the client’s wish.

Corporate identity for Binned

Stage 2. Market and user research

When the goals are set and a company’s personality seems clear, designers go to the research work. This step is essential for all kinds of designer’s job, be it a logo or a mobile app. The research helps to immerse into the environment of the future brand and comprehend the peculiarities which may influence its success.

First goes the market research. Designers dig out the information about the market and potential competitors. It’s good to learn from someone’s experience be it good or bad. Having the necessary data experts can create a unique and efficient logo and build a brand identity that will stand out from the competition.

Designers and clients’ preferences should step aside to the needs of the target audience. A brand needs to make a good impression on its potential buyers or users to gain their trust. User research helps to get deeper into the preferences and psychological peculiarities of the target audience.

The design is not pure art. If you rely exceptionally on the sense of beauty and talent, there is a risk of failing the task. Research takes less time compared to doing the job over.

Stickers designed for Reborn

Stage 3. Logo design

Some people often mistake a logo for a brand but it is only one stage in the process of branding. However, it would be wrong to underestimate the role of logo design. It is the basic mark of brand identity, the most prominent symbol of brand image and the foundation of an effective marketing strategy enabling its connection with the target audience.

In our article Creative Stages of Efficient Logo Design, we’ve described essential stages of the creative process in logo design. They are:

• setting the task
• user research
• marketing research
• creative search
• choice of style direction
• choice of color palette
• testing in different sizes and environments
• creating a style guide setting right and wrong cases of logo use etc.

Logo design for Passfold

One of the aspects the research includes is exploring logos of the competitive companies. It helps to avoid unnecessary similarity with other logos in the sector and make an original brand identity.

When all the core information is gathered, designers move to the more artistic stage – the creative process itself. By the means of various experiments, they choose the style direction and color palette which will work best for a brand.

After the logo is complete, designers start the testing part. The thing is that not everything looking good on a digital screen will be the same in a different environment or variety of surfaces. That’s why it’s vital to test the logo in all possible situations and placements to make sure there won’t be an unpleasant surprise.

Logo design plays a big part in branding, so designers are recommended to pay a big attention to its creative process. A well-thought logo is worth time investment.

Logo animation for Binned

Stage 4. Visual elements of brand

Logo design is not the only visual representation of a brand. Certainly, the major focus will always be a logo but there are some more elements deserving the attention such as mascots and typography.

Companies often look for ways of personalizing a brand and designers have a solution. Mascots are the custom design characters created to represent the brand in a quite symbolic way. They can be created as a part of a logo or exist as an individual brand element. Such characters can establish a connection with users as nothing else. A mascot serves as a tool for communication and interaction with users helping to transfer the message in an unusual manner. People start to see a mascot as a major representative of a company introducing them a product or a service. The efficient mascot guarantees recognizability and memorability to a brand and easily draws users’ attention.

Mascot design for Saily

Another visual element responsible for brand identity is typography. Many logos are created via typography or contain fonts in it but typography doesn’t end here. Banners, business cards, correspondence a company applies should involve brand identity signs as well. You can make fonts also speak for your brand. Designers often create custom fonts for companies to be unique even in such small details. However, it’s not the only option. Experts may choose a combination of regular fonts that will suit a certain brand best. This way users will easier remember a brand because of its consistency in every detail.

Logo design for Reborn

Stage 5. Corporate brand style

When the logo is ready, the color palette is chosen, and other visual elements are prepared, it’s time to unite them into harmonic corporate style. It is required when a designer works on branding for companies providing services. Various attributes can become a branded item depending on the type of company. There are some common brand items which are used by different companies:

Business card. Today it’s a must-have item in business communication so it’s vital to make sure a business card represents a brand properly.

Business cards designed for Binned

Correspondence. Business communication always has a formal style. To show a brand is a reliable partner and service provider, designers need to work on its correspondence presentation. Letterheads and envelopes need to contain brand identity elements showing the professional level.

Envelope design for Reborn

Billboards and banners. They are a core part of branding and marketing so clients often ask designers to work on a creative idea for outdoor adverts and web banners.

Poster designed for Andre

Vehicle branding. Companies that provide product delivery need an effective decoration of the vehicle. Brand identity elements on the company cars or trucks are an efficient way of outdoor promotion.

Vehicle livery designed for Andre

T-shirt and hats. Clothes with brand marks bring the team spirit into a company so employers often take care of these attributes. Branded T-shirts and hats can be a good alternative to a uniform if it’s required or they can be used as presents.

Branded clothes designed for Binned

Stage 6. A style guide

The work is done. The visual material is complete. The last task for the designer is to make sure clients will use all the assets properly. A style guide is a document providing instructions about correct and wrong ways to use the graphics created for the brand. Traditionally, a style guide includes the explanation of the idea standing behind a logo as well as the presentation of a corporate color palette which can be used for different purposes. It can be good to demonstrate examples of incorrect usage in order to avoid poor visual performance.

Styleguide for Reborn

As you can see branding is a complex process. Each step should be well-thought, based on the needs of the target audience and business goals. To see more, welcome to check case studies on recent branding projects. Stay tuned!

Recommended reading

How to Use the Power of Mascots in Branding and UI Design

Animated Logos: Why, Where and How to Use

How Shape and Color Work in Logo Design: Practical Cases

Design Case Study. Corporate Brand Identity for a Landscape Firm

Logo Design. Creative Path to Effective Branding. Free E-Book.

Originally written for Tubik Blog

Сообщение 6 Creative Stages of Design for Branding появились сначала на Design4Users.

We have already published case studies with the stories of creating logos and brand identity concepts at the early stages of their business path. However, this time the story will have another flavor as we are presenting you the case of logo redesign for a company that is already recognized and actively operating on the market. The task for Tubik team was to create the new brand identity not breaking already gained links and associations.

Task

Redesign of a logo and creating the corporate identity for a commercial and holistic landscape firm Andre operating in landscape maintenance, tree care and design.

Process

First of all, it was important for the designer to study the conditions and philosophy of existing logo functionality, details about company activities and business goals and customer’s wishes about the redesign process. It should be mentioned that redesign for existing companies and products can have different levels of breakaway from the existing versions: some companies decide upon fully new design which has nothing in common with the current branding, while others keep the track of changes carefully and gradually, with minor alterations eliminating the risk of losing recognizability on the market.

The second approach was taken as a basis for this particular story because Andre is a company that has already won its audience on the market. That means any design change should be done with respect to the company’s history and philosophy as well as brand image grown through the years. Therefore, new design had to take its roots from the existing branding, but offer some refreshment and add some trend.

Certainly, to find the sign representing the brand, the designer needs to know as much as possible about the brand, its business goals and statement. Andre is a medium-sized company based in the USA and providing all sorts of services linked to landscape care and design of any complexity. The company is family-owned so its name origins from the last name of the family. The customers wanted a new logo to be quite classic, memorable, enduring and setting the strong association with land care. So, it was important initially to provide the visual sign that will instantly inform observers about the nature of the business and create positive vibes via the harmonic combination of shapes and colors.

After the market research and getting deep into the requirements and background of the company, the designer worked over the first series of sketches and offered the first version for the redesign. It was based on the round shape and featured green leaves as the central element of the composition. The designer also selected the corresponding version for the name lettering so that it looked readable and harmonic in combination with the image, supporting it but not overloading general visual presentation. The combination of several shades of green with light-blue set the image connected to key concepts of business activities: nature, landscape, plants, trees, sky. The designer applied smooth and rounded lines of different stroke weight and provided the variants filled with color as well as glyph one.

Another concept offered more linear and geometric variant also featuring the leaf motif and using a shape inside reflecting the form of capital A letter.

Although the offered style was appropriate, the customers insisted on applying the mascot in the logo image. The choice was made in favor of a bird and the designer offered the graphic option featuring the bird as a logo image. It also was applying the form of the leaf in the image used separately, but in combination with lettering, the leaf was placed closer to the letters.

One variant of a logo featuring the bird mascot used the image with the shorter beak and an eye featuring the mimic expression of the smile.

The idea of “smiling” positive expression was also tried in the variant in which the bird was inscribed into the circle. The beak directed upwards moved out of the circle setting the feeling of progressive flight, while the wing featured the form and visual marks of the leaf.

The general concept of applying the bird in the logo was set and agreed upon, but the customer and the designer decided on trying another iteration experimenting on simplification of the bird’s silhouette to make the logo not only attractive and meaningful but also clearly visible and legible in any size. This stage of creative search resulted in a new shape combining the visual concept of a bird and of a leaf in one image.

The final choice was made in this direction, which efficiently presented the mascot in clear simple forms, preserved color combination associated with the nature of the offered services and vibes of green and natural background.

Now let’s continue this story to unveil the further process of applying the logo and chosen the stylistic approach for the set of branded items presenting general corporate identity of the brand.

On the basis of this stylistic approach, the designer developed several variations applying the same color palette, typography, mascot and general visual perception for building the consistent and harmonic corporate style presented via different visual details on branded items. For all of them, three core visual elements supported the consistency of performance: the mascot showing the cute hummingbird, green leaves instantly associated with trees and plants and the lettering showing the brand name of the company.

Business Card

The first item to get into the set was a business card. No wonder: in the modern world, the business cards is not a sort of fashion, but a must-have for serious branding and business communication, especially in the domain of services. It is the real sign of respect to the customer. So, it should be not only informative but also stylish and easily readable. The designer provided two options of placement, horizontal and vertical, to set higher level of flexibility for possible goals and wishes that company can have in the future.

Vehicle branding

The next object of design exploration was branding for corporate vehicles. The company uses several options of vehicles which regularly do considerable business routes, therefore, neglecting such an effective advertising carrier would be unreasonable. So, the designer worked over the variants of harmonic placement of catchy and stylish branding elements for different models of vehicles.

Light background provided effective combination with the green palette of identity design presentation and set the high level of visibility and readability, important for this method of advertising.

Correspondence

One more direction of corporate branding for Andre company had to deal with correspondence, both physical and digital. In this field, letterhead and envelope were created for physical letters and also the special template featuring branding signs was designed for corporate emails.

Banner Design for indoor trade show

No secret that branding is not only about the logo and brand name but also the general style of visual components dealing with the brand, such as photos for websites and blog posts, banners of all kinds, posters and so on. One of the design tasks was to create the banner for an indoor trade show. For it, the designer created unique hand-made letting for the slogan copy to add originality for general visual perception and setting the strong emotional associations with a brand.

Jar design

Another object of design was a jar for candies or other stuff of this sort. The concept below shows the monochrome design with high level of readability which could efficiently work for the objects of this kind.

T-shirt

One more task for the designer was certainly connected with corporate T-shirts which could be effectively used as another nice and natural carrier of information enhancing brand recognizability and awareness. Again, the designer chose the light background as the basis of providing the airy and universal solution to the fast and clear presentation of the logo. Still, other variants featuring different color combinations and visual elements placement were offered to the set so that they could be used for a variety of purposes in advertising campaigns and everyday brand presentation.

On the basis of all the design solutions, the clients got the brand guidelines setting all the details of designed solutions as well as wrong variants of using the logo that could harm the perception of the brand image.

This case of a comprehensive design of corporate identity has become another proof that user research, market research, thorough attention to the customer’s requirements, and inspired creative search together make a great basis for efficient, informative, and attractive branding.

If you want to know more about creative stages of the design process for logos, welcome to read our free e-book Logo Design.

More Branding Design Case Studies

Quisine. Branding Design for Food Delivery Service

Logo Design: Collection of Creative Logos for a Variety of Brands

Dicey. Logo and Mascot Design for Party Game

MYWONY. Storytelling with Brand Intro Design

Inspora. Brand and UI Design for Virtual Stylist

AppShack. Logo Design for a Digital Agency

LunnScape. Identity Design for a Landscape Company

Binned. Brand Identity Design for Cleaning Service

Reborn. Identity Design for a Restaurant

Originally written for Tubik Blog

Сообщение Design Case Study: Corporate Branding for Landscape Firm появились сначала на Design4Users.

Logo is the basic mark of brand identity, the most prominent symbol of brand image, and the foundation of an effective marketing strategy enabling its connection with the target audience. One of the misperceptions in the world of business is that if the product or service is good, it doesn’t need additional investments of time and money into its promotion. However, it doesn’t work like that: without brand identity, even the high-quality product can get lost just because users or buyers won’t get even a slim chance to learn about it or try it. On the contrary, a strong branding strategy sets the immediate connection of the product or company and its essential benefits with the sign that represents it. Brands, products, and companies need their own personalities that will attract people in the way it often happens with a personal relationship.

Showing personality in your app, website, or brand can be a very powerful way for your audience to identify and empathize with you. People want to connect with real people and too often we forget that businesses are just collections of people. (Aaron Walter)

Worldwide famous designer and artist Karl Lagerfeld once said “Logos and branding are so important. In a big part of the world, people cannot read French or English – but are great in remembering signs”. Knowing how far he went in the sphere of design, it’s really easy to believe he’s right, considering that plenty of big and small companies proved that via their marketing experience.

In our previous article, we looked a bit closer at five types of logos all of which function successfully nowadays. Continuing the topic, today we suggest going deeper into the stages of the creative process in logo design on the basis of extensive studio experience in the sphere.

The process of creating a logo for Upper App

Logo design flow

One of the key characteristics of the most efficient logos is their simplicity. On the one hand, it becomes a challenge for a designer to create a sign which is both simple and at the same time recognizable. On the other hand, it can give clients the illusion that logo creation is a sort of simple operation that needs a couple of hours and doesn’t require special skills, too much time or effort. That is quite a mistake and such an approach will bring branding to nowhere.

Efficient logo design is a complex strategy that includes all the stages of design and marketing process such as:

• setting the task
• user research
• marketing research
• creative search
• choice of style direction
• choice of color palette
• testing in different sizes and environments
• creating a style guide setting right and wrong cases of logo use etc.

As we can see, logo design is a tricky process: many steps should be done to get an efficient result. That is the reason for plenty of companies including startups, beginning their way in the sphere of business, to trust this essential task to professional designers. Practice shows that the logo, which is thought-out to the slightest details and tested properly, is a worthy investment.

Let’s look a bit closer at each stage.

Setting the task

This stage is the foundation of all the design process. This is the time when the designer should get as much information as possible from the client to mark the right way to the goal. It is well-known that the one who walks without a destination in mind will possibly come nowhere. In design (not only the logo and branding direction) it works the same way: to get the result, you should clearly set the goals from the very starting point. It doesn’t mean that the goals will stay totally the same at the end of the journey: they can modify more or less in the creative process. Still, if the goals are not set at the start, the creative process can get easily transformed into a mess.

That’s the first step to designing anything: ask “Why are we doing this?” If the answer isn’t clear, or isn’t clear to you, or just doesn’t exist, you can’t design anything. Stop working. Can you help set those goals? If so, do it. (Yes, it is part of your job. Anything that helps you do your job is part of your job.) (Mike Monteiro “Design Is a Job”)

Designers should always be ready that clients often don’t know in detail what they want. They just want a beautiful logo that will bring success to their business. That is natural and that is the reason why they hire a designer. In our earlier post devoted to stereotypes about designers, we mentioned: “your customer doesn’t have to know all the nuances and peculiarities of the design process. That is why THEY are customers and YOU are a designer.”

Moreover, the thing, which we have checked in practice, is that communicating with clients you should get not only their wishes but also try to get the ideas and reasons behind these wishes. If you understand why your customer wants to see particular colors, shapes or transitions, it will be easier for you (if necessary) to justify other methods of realization for these ideas which would give the result desired by the customer.

The more information you get from the client, the better it is for setting the right direction. Design briefs, calls, and Skype conferences, chat in Slack, brainstorming sessions, mood boards can all form a good starting line for productive work.

At this stage, it is highly advisable for a designer to get the data about:

• the nature of the product
• the target audience
• geographical targeting (if available)
• the keywords with which the company represents its identity
• preferred color palette
• potential carriers and surfaces at which logo will be used
• the need for consistency with existing corporate identity (if available)
• preferred type of logo
• the necessity of mascot design.

Obviously, the list is not totally full, still, it contains the most important positions needed for setting a general design goal.

Research

This is the stage when being based on the established task and aims, the designer has to get deeper into the environment in which the future branding sign will function. The research stage usually moves on in two directions simultaneously: user research and marketing research.

User research means getting deeper into details of the core target audience, knowing their preferences and psychological peculiarities, the influence of color and data carrier on their emotions and experience, the sources of information, and creative performance ways that encourage them and make them active.

Marketing research means exploring the market segment, primarily from the perspective of creative solutions used by competitors. Logo design presumes to create a unique sign that will make the company or brand stand out of the crowd and draw potential customer’s attention. Neglecting the research stage and relying only on their creative intuition and talent, designers risk failing this task as they will not know the conditions of the logo functioning and will not be able to make it efficient and original.

Creative search

This is the stage when armed with loads of data and seeing the path, the designer sets off in the creation process. The aim of this stage is to develop one or several stylistic directions which will allow fulfilling the branding goal and marketing needs. In all fairness, it has to be added that the branding design process like every single personalization activity is very individual in each particular case. Sometimes it happens that the requirements from the customer are so clear and details are collected so carefully at the previous stages that logo direction is set during the first iteration and needs only to get polished. In other cases, especially in cases when requirements are blur or competition at the market segment is really high, various directions should be analyzed and different variants have to be tested to get the one which will be effective and original.

This stage can include the creative outcome of different fidelity levels, from rough pencil sketches to sophisticated digital samples. Any of them can work efficiently, the choice of strategy depends on the designer’s expert decision of a more effective presentation way according to the client’s requirements and specific type of logo. Speed and urgency of the project, as well as its interconnection with other design processes like for example interface design, can also influence the choice of presentation format. You can observe the variety of creative stages in our case studies on branding.

Early sketches of the creative search for SwiftyBeaver logo design

Early sketches of the creative search for PassFold logo design

Early sketches of the creative search for Tubik logo design

A creative search of mascots for Saily App logo

The outcome of the creative search is the selected style and type direction (for example, flat or skeuomorphic, colorful or monochrome, featuring the mascot or not and hundreds of other general stylistic details), color palette, basic shaping and placement of the logo (say, round, square, triangular; using landscape or portrait placement; perhaps setting several variants of shapes and logo elements placement, etc.)

Polishing the details and finalizing the concept

At this stage, the designer develops the chosen direction and works over the slightest details. People staying far from the design process can be stunned by the level of fidelity and sophistication over the image presenting future branding signs. Sometimes, it takes hours of work to develop the variants with tiny changes set in millimeters which still influence the general harmony. This is the time when designers can experiment with forms and lines, hues, and shades, still, at this stage, they work within the already set general stylistic concept.

Shades and shaping variations for SwiftyBeaver logo design

Color combinations for Passfold logo

Background color options for Saily App logo

Mascot variations for Andre logo

The outcome of this stage is the finalized version of a logo visual presentation.

Testing

Designers, believing that the preparation of final high-resolution graphic assets for a logo is the finish of the journey for them, make a big mistake. As well as for any design task, post-design testing of the created result is the must-do. For the logo, it is a vital condition of efficiency and success. It should be tested on different surfaces and devices, in the wide diversity of settings and environments, sizes and resolutions, alone and surrounded by other logos. If such an option is available, it should be tested by people directly representing the core target audience. The results of the testing should be thoroughly analyzed and sometimes they can significantly influence the final logo alterations.

Visual perception and mental associations are deep and vital human element making a great impact on any design element’s effectiveness and attractiveness. There are loads of factors, some of them so slight and deep that it’s impossible for the designer to predict them. Among those factors we could mention:

• geographic location
• color perception
• gender
• age
• religion and beliefs
• level of education
• minor and major disabilities
• psychological peculiarities
• technology awareness.

The list can be continued longer and longer and amaze designers and customers by its diversity level. To avoid the issues of misunderstanding or misperception, as well as risk getting lost in the environment of other logos and icons, testing becomes the integral design process stage.

PassFold logo testing

Saily App logo tested as a game character

 Toonie mascot tested on the app screen

Design4Users logo tested in print

Creating a style guide

Last but not least is the stage when the designer accomplishes the style guide for the approved and finalized logo. The guide should include clear and informative instruction of correct and incorrect variations of the logo use. It becomes the basis for a brand book and enables customers in the future to inform any sides involved in the creative process like print shops, for example, to keep the rules of harmonic presentation of the logo.

Features of an effective logo

Whatever is the choice of type and style in logo design for a particular brand, any logo should include basic efficiency features:

• simplicity
• originality
• versatility
• recognizability
• the consistency of use
• appeal to the target audience
• informativeness
• memorability
• longevity.

Considering that all those traits should preferably get combined in one logo, hiring a specialist for this job is definitely a worthy investment. This flow will cost less time, effort, and money than profits lost later because of poor non-harmonic branding.

Lion browser logo icon

If you are interested to see the full practical path of logo design we keep here in the studio, welcome to look over the case studies of Ribbet, Passfold, Tubik, Saily, SwiftyBeaver, and Andre logos designed by Tubik team. They contain descriptions and illustrations for all the stages of design process.

Recommended reading

Here are some more articles we could recommend for those who would like to get deeper into the topic of logo design:

Identity Design: 5 Basic Types of Logos.

Get started with logo design: 10-step guide

Zero to Logo: The Creative Process in 7 Steps

The Logo Design Process From Start To Finish

12 Essential Rules to Follow When Designing a Logo

Originally written for Tubik Blog
Welcome to read free e-book “Logo Design. Creative Path to Effective Branding”

Сообщение Creative Stages of Efficient Logo Design появились сначала на Design4Users.