Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Ideas for Ublo
I got cracking on some ideas for Ublo this week, just as a way of experimenting with Illustrator. I did some research on symbols too, because I want the end product's symbol to be based on something that is connected to the company both historically and visually. I always like a story behind something (like my tattoos!). Not sure if any of these will be the end result, but it was fun to have a play - also helps me to think about the company.
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Teenage Fashion Shop Logotypes
This was actually quite hard! At first, it's easy to go with all the kid stuff, but it helps to remember that many teenage girls are trying NOT to be kids anymore. Assuming too girly or too young a logotype could potentially alienate the customers.
I chose a range that wavered between the two - some are quite young and frilly, others are more urban in their orientation. I even chose some quite plain, bold type faces. Anyway, here they are:
I chose a range that wavered between the two - some are quite young and frilly, others are more urban in their orientation. I even chose some quite plain, bold type faces. Anyway, here they are:
Assessment 2: Response to Readings Topic 4
David Airey's Design Brief
I liked this designer so much I spent a long time trawling through his website. I'm so happy that someone who has been working as a designer for a time has not only bothered to put all of this great information up on his website, but also takes the time to respond to other designers. A real gem of a guy!
It has been incredibly valuable to spend this time on design briefs. Up until now, I pretty much have just sat at a computer, thinking and playing until something comes to me. This, along with the all-too-often holes in my technical skill means many design projects take much longer than they should.
I'll be honest and say that the reading had very little effect on my jewellery design brief. I didn't go through a process like David Airey's, because I did the designs before the reading, but I can see how valuable it would have been to have done so. Thinking about the client's needs, the design limits and even a sketching process would all have added to the quality and speed of the work. From here, I would like to really change how I have been working, and become systemetised enough so that creation can be supported. In the end, spending less time fluffing about means more time to design, after all!
I liked this designer so much I spent a long time trawling through his website. I'm so happy that someone who has been working as a designer for a time has not only bothered to put all of this great information up on his website, but also takes the time to respond to other designers. A real gem of a guy!
It has been incredibly valuable to spend this time on design briefs. Up until now, I pretty much have just sat at a computer, thinking and playing until something comes to me. This, along with the all-too-often holes in my technical skill means many design projects take much longer than they should.
I'll be honest and say that the reading had very little effect on my jewellery design brief. I didn't go through a process like David Airey's, because I did the designs before the reading, but I can see how valuable it would have been to have done so. Thinking about the client's needs, the design limits and even a sketching process would all have added to the quality and speed of the work. From here, I would like to really change how I have been working, and become systemetised enough so that creation can be supported. In the end, spending less time fluffing about means more time to design, after all!
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Dolls Face Flyer
I admit I was a little erred to go with pink at first, but then I created the text box with the list of specialties and it all flowed from there. The only thing about it that I think might be difficult about it is the heading 'welcome to..' , being such a light colour, but I decided to keep it that way so it didn't interfere with the logo. It's much easier to see at full size. The stitching look around the boxes I was pretty happy with! It reminds me of all those seams that are needed to make a doll.
Monday, 17 March 2008
Assessment 3 - Week 5 / Dolls
I think I inadvertently stumbled across the source of Padraig's text! First up on the list is Omar's Doll's Shop (Omar, meaning Grandmother...):
The logo I think is quite nice (but obviously wouldn't be very versatile, due to its complexity of form and colour), but on the website it's nice - and in fact is probably the only thing nice about the website. The rest of it is very bland and makes you think any design stopped at the logo (Frankel would be most upset).
2. Little Darlings Doll Museum & Coffee Shop
OK, my personal opinion aside, there is a lot more consistency in this company's design (well, on their website at least), in terms of colour. It's a little too girly for my liking, though! I think it's possible to be feminine without being 'cute' (I think I may have had an overdose of cute, living in Japan...)
Speaking of which, I wanted to mention this place, but it's a bit of a story...sorry.
One of my favourite towns in Japan is famous for its Doll Museums. As the story goes, the town was struggling economically, when a bunch of young people got together and decided that there were enough older people with enough treasures stuffed away to turn their little town into a street of museums.
So, the town was turned into a major tourist attraction, increasing annual visitors from something like 50,000 a year to over 1 million. In this case, Frankel would be pleased, because the town got together and branded the whole place - very successfully. Here's a link to check out pictures of the town, and below is a picture of one of the doll shops- incidentally, most of the museums are in parts of people's houses, or storage they weren't using.
But I digress...
3. My Doll Shop
I really like this logo - it's feminine without being all country-style cutesy. It reminds me of a mixture between 1950s (maybe the girl?) design and 1920s (the smaller type face).
The logo I think is quite nice (but obviously wouldn't be very versatile, due to its complexity of form and colour), but on the website it's nice - and in fact is probably the only thing nice about the website. The rest of it is very bland and makes you think any design stopped at the logo (Frankel would be most upset).
2. Little Darlings Doll Museum & Coffee Shop
OK, my personal opinion aside, there is a lot more consistency in this company's design (well, on their website at least), in terms of colour. It's a little too girly for my liking, though! I think it's possible to be feminine without being 'cute' (I think I may have had an overdose of cute, living in Japan...)
Speaking of which, I wanted to mention this place, but it's a bit of a story...sorry.
One of my favourite towns in Japan is famous for its Doll Museums. As the story goes, the town was struggling economically, when a bunch of young people got together and decided that there were enough older people with enough treasures stuffed away to turn their little town into a street of museums.
So, the town was turned into a major tourist attraction, increasing annual visitors from something like 50,000 a year to over 1 million. In this case, Frankel would be pleased, because the town got together and branded the whole place - very successfully. Here's a link to check out pictures of the town, and below is a picture of one of the doll shops- incidentally, most of the museums are in parts of people's houses, or storage they weren't using.
But I digress...
3. My Doll Shop
I really like this logo - it's feminine without being all country-style cutesy. It reminds me of a mixture between 1950s (maybe the girl?) design and 1920s (the smaller type face).
Professional Design Collection - Week 2
Three logos that use variations of primary shapes - circles, squares and triangles - sorry, this post is not in order (week 3 posting below):
1. Chubb:
2. Sound House Vector Lab (Powerhouse Museum)
3. Young Blood Designer's Market (again, Powerhouse Museum...this is more to do with variations on the shapes, aside form the two big circles that make up the motorbike tyres!)
And one more, just for fun - this is from a new website by a guy I know up in Iceland - the logo is based on an original artwork by Bjorn Hjortur Einarsson. But sorry, for copyright reasons, I can't reproduce it here, you'll have to just visit the site (it has some great audio clips - especially the Icelandic drinking songs!). Click here to view the artwork and logo created from it.
1. Chubb:
2. Sound House Vector Lab (Powerhouse Museum)
3. Young Blood Designer's Market (again, Powerhouse Museum...this is more to do with variations on the shapes, aside form the two big circles that make up the motorbike tyres!)
And one more, just for fun - this is from a new website by a guy I know up in Iceland - the logo is based on an original artwork by Bjorn Hjortur Einarsson. But sorry, for copyright reasons, I can't reproduce it here, you'll have to just visit the site (it has some great audio clips - especially the Icelandic drinking songs!). Click here to view the artwork and logo created from it.
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Harris Jewellery
I confess to not being such a fan of this logo! There's something about it that doesn't sit well with me - maybe it's the chaotic logo or the typeface that keeps reminding me of the sea...I'm not sure!
Well, in the end I couldn't help myself, so after sticking within the parameters of the assignment first, I then began to play with the logo to see if I could get a better gut feeling about it - it was an interesting process! I started by analysing the colours - which ones worked for me and which didn't, and reduced the number of colours so that it would give off a clearer message.
I really liked the lines of the logo, but they were hidden around the text, so I changed the colour of the lines and got rid of a lot of the fills. The I turned it so that the shape would be a bit more dynamic. Then I had a look at the construction of the logo, and changed a lot of anchor point positions so it was a bit cleaner.
All in all, pretty fun! I liked the second one more, but it's completely subjective - it depeds, of course, on the business owner. And you never know, the shop might be right near a seaport, in which case it would blend in well...: )
Here's the first round, with the original colours and logo:
Letterhead:
Black & White Yellow Pages Ad:
And Signage (I added the phone, fax and website because I think that's just good common sense for any business owner! But, of course, it goes without saying that I made sure the client wanted it first...)
And here's the experimental designs, in the same order:
Well, in the end I couldn't help myself, so after sticking within the parameters of the assignment first, I then began to play with the logo to see if I could get a better gut feeling about it - it was an interesting process! I started by analysing the colours - which ones worked for me and which didn't, and reduced the number of colours so that it would give off a clearer message.
I really liked the lines of the logo, but they were hidden around the text, so I changed the colour of the lines and got rid of a lot of the fills. The I turned it so that the shape would be a bit more dynamic. Then I had a look at the construction of the logo, and changed a lot of anchor point positions so it was a bit cleaner.
All in all, pretty fun! I liked the second one more, but it's completely subjective - it depeds, of course, on the business owner. And you never know, the shop might be right near a seaport, in which case it would blend in well...: )
Here's the first round, with the original colours and logo:
Letterhead:
Black & White Yellow Pages Ad:
And Signage (I added the phone, fax and website because I think that's just good common sense for any business owner! But, of course, it goes without saying that I made sure the client wanted it first...)
And here's the experimental designs, in the same order:
Saturday, 8 March 2008
Assignment 3/Week 4: Jewellery
The first jewellery logo that comes to mind for me is Bulgari. It's simple but interesting, with the latin V being used instead of a U:
The second logo is for Tiffany's, one of the most famous jewellery stores in the world, thank to Audry Hepburn:
The picture of the third logo I thought was interesting - and telling! Chanel's branding is so famous and sought after, they can actually get away with making diamond encrusted versions of it:
All of the examples I have used are of the most up-scale jewellery in the world, and each has a very sleek, simple design. There's no superfluous design needed here, and somehow the elegance of the designs speak volumes about the brand.
For argument's sake, I also found some lower-scale versions of jewellery outlets, just to compare:
Also, I think it's important to note that these are all well established, commercial jewellers, and that small-scale, independent designers might come up with something different, such as:
(Admittedly, this came off their site and looks much better there: http://theblog.modamuse.com/?sectionid=22)
And one of my favourite sites for jewellery:
Even these have stayed with relatively simple fonts and symbols, ot not used symbols at all, such as Michael Hill and Moda Muse.
The last example, meta lab, I think is the least likely logo and name to express its function - the jewellery on the site is amazing, but the logo and name are more scientific than creative. Without all the text off to one side telling you what it is, you wouldn't know, and so I don't think the logo is the best that it could be. It would be a great logo for an IT firm, though!
The second logo is for Tiffany's, one of the most famous jewellery stores in the world, thank to Audry Hepburn:
The picture of the third logo I thought was interesting - and telling! Chanel's branding is so famous and sought after, they can actually get away with making diamond encrusted versions of it:
All of the examples I have used are of the most up-scale jewellery in the world, and each has a very sleek, simple design. There's no superfluous design needed here, and somehow the elegance of the designs speak volumes about the brand.
For argument's sake, I also found some lower-scale versions of jewellery outlets, just to compare:
Also, I think it's important to note that these are all well established, commercial jewellers, and that small-scale, independent designers might come up with something different, such as:
(Admittedly, this came off their site and looks much better there: http://theblog.modamuse.com/?sectionid=22)
And one of my favourite sites for jewellery:
Even these have stayed with relatively simple fonts and symbols, ot not used symbols at all, such as Michael Hill and Moda Muse.
The last example, meta lab, I think is the least likely logo and name to express its function - the jewellery on the site is amazing, but the logo and name are more scientific than creative. Without all the text off to one side telling you what it is, you wouldn't know, and so I don't think the logo is the best that it could be. It would be a great logo for an IT firm, though!
Assessment Item 2: Response to Readings Wk 3
The readings this week were very interesting. The redesigning of the Pittsburgh Children's Museum (Thomas G, 2000) was very clever, and really makes you think about how, even in modulating logos, it's important to be able to bring the customer's mind back to a parent mark (in this case, the only circle with a thick black line instead of a grey one).
I also thought the use of colour in the stationary types was great, and helped to convey the idea that the museum is a playful, lively and interesting place to bring the kids.
The design of Sony's Meteron, by one of my favourite companies, Pentagram, was also very interesting. I can't say I liked the end result so much, though, being pretty forgettable, really. But I understand why a typeface was used instead of a symbol (new entry to the market, meaning there was no brand recognition to work with). However, I think a symbol would have given the Metreon more of a personality.
Considering this in the jewellery design assignment was important, because our task was essentially to reshuffle what was already there, and create a uniformity across the various mediums (letterhead, signage, etc). Despite the fact that there were certain elements of the design that I wasn't in favour of (the typeface especially), it was a good exercise in working with what your client wants, instead of what you think they want!
The second reading, "Bank on the Brand" (Business Papers No1) I found really useful because I am currently helping my brother with the logo design for his new gallery. As he already has a logo for his workshop, I am hoping to create a new logo based on the character of the original. In this way, the gallery is a part of the workshop, but will take on a new appeal, hopefully drawing customers to the showroom. This reading brought to light a fundamental point that any designer needs to consider first - the nature of the business and its day to day culture, aims and objectives.
I also thought the use of colour in the stationary types was great, and helped to convey the idea that the museum is a playful, lively and interesting place to bring the kids.
The design of Sony's Meteron, by one of my favourite companies, Pentagram, was also very interesting. I can't say I liked the end result so much, though, being pretty forgettable, really. But I understand why a typeface was used instead of a symbol (new entry to the market, meaning there was no brand recognition to work with). However, I think a symbol would have given the Metreon more of a personality.
Considering this in the jewellery design assignment was important, because our task was essentially to reshuffle what was already there, and create a uniformity across the various mediums (letterhead, signage, etc). Despite the fact that there were certain elements of the design that I wasn't in favour of (the typeface especially), it was a good exercise in working with what your client wants, instead of what you think they want!
The second reading, "Bank on the Brand" (Business Papers No1) I found really useful because I am currently helping my brother with the logo design for his new gallery. As he already has a logo for his workshop, I am hoping to create a new logo based on the character of the original. In this way, the gallery is a part of the workshop, but will take on a new appeal, hopefully drawing customers to the showroom. This reading brought to light a fundamental point that any designer needs to consider first - the nature of the business and its day to day culture, aims and objectives.
Friday, 7 March 2008
Assessment Item 3, Week 3 - Depertment store rivals
First, before starting this post, I'd just like to ask the question - apart from DJs, exactly WHAT competition does MYER even have??? It's amazing to take a look at the history of department stores in Australia (thanks to Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Department_stores_of_Australia), and very quickly it becomes apparent that something is afoot with this industry! Anyway...
So, I have gone a little further afield. Harris Scarf, Kmart, Target, Big W, etc, I would not really consider competition to Myer or DJs, because they are going after a different market - they are mid-scale items, not luxury items, and so I have omitted them from my search!
So, here is DJ's Logo:
And for argument's sake, I have also included Westfield:
Although this might be a different type of store altogether - still, it's bordering on competition, especially if it houses a David Jones and not a Myers store within its walls!
The re-branding of the Grace Bros. Stores to Myer in 2004 was a good move, I think. For one, it brought all the branding in line across the country, rather than having Myer in Melbourne and Adelaide, but Grace Bros in Sydney. Also, just from a personal point of view, I like the Myer branding better, for what it is trying to achieve - and upmarket department store. The red on both the Grace Bros. and the Westfield logos, to me, just looks a little down scale.
I put something up before on the forum about the re-branding of Saks 5th Avenue, and although its not in competition with Myer here, it's interesting to note that this store has been struggling for years as well, much like Myer, and faces tough competition from other stores such as Bloomingdales. So, I will put the information on the redesigning of the Saks logo by Pentagram here as well, and also include the "Brand New" blog that covered it as well. The blog is really interesting because it is all about re-branding.
I think that the problem Myer has is that it is too much like its competition. DJs has had a very successful history of using black and white, and its checkered pattern is easily recognisable without the name. Without using red, of course, I think it would be good for Myer to slowly move away from the straight black and white look, and carefully bring in some more interesting and dynamic shapes and design features.
I tried to do this with the design I have put on this blog a few days ago. I think the watermark on the card and the logo itself can also lend themselves to modulation - the "M" in the MYER can use different colours for different seasons, and the watermark or just the M can be used on packaging or store credit cards. The branding needs to come alive, and rather than trying to emulate its only major competitor, I think it should try to differentiate itself in a stylish and subtle way.
So, I have gone a little further afield. Harris Scarf, Kmart, Target, Big W, etc, I would not really consider competition to Myer or DJs, because they are going after a different market - they are mid-scale items, not luxury items, and so I have omitted them from my search!
So, here is DJ's Logo:
And for argument's sake, I have also included Westfield:
Although this might be a different type of store altogether - still, it's bordering on competition, especially if it houses a David Jones and not a Myers store within its walls!
The re-branding of the Grace Bros. Stores to Myer in 2004 was a good move, I think. For one, it brought all the branding in line across the country, rather than having Myer in Melbourne and Adelaide, but Grace Bros in Sydney. Also, just from a personal point of view, I like the Myer branding better, for what it is trying to achieve - and upmarket department store. The red on both the Grace Bros. and the Westfield logos, to me, just looks a little down scale.
I put something up before on the forum about the re-branding of Saks 5th Avenue, and although its not in competition with Myer here, it's interesting to note that this store has been struggling for years as well, much like Myer, and faces tough competition from other stores such as Bloomingdales. So, I will put the information on the redesigning of the Saks logo by Pentagram here as well, and also include the "Brand New" blog that covered it as well. The blog is really interesting because it is all about re-branding.
I think that the problem Myer has is that it is too much like its competition. DJs has had a very successful history of using black and white, and its checkered pattern is easily recognisable without the name. Without using red, of course, I think it would be good for Myer to slowly move away from the straight black and white look, and carefully bring in some more interesting and dynamic shapes and design features.
I tried to do this with the design I have put on this blog a few days ago. I think the watermark on the card and the logo itself can also lend themselves to modulation - the "M" in the MYER can use different colours for different seasons, and the watermark or just the M can be used on packaging or store credit cards. The branding needs to come alive, and rather than trying to emulate its only major competitor, I think it should try to differentiate itself in a stylish and subtle way.
Design for Industry----woah!!
I love this site - an amazing logo - I love the texture of it, like it's spraypainted on the road - and the graphics! The moves!! Too cool for school...
Click on the pic to go to the site...
Click on the pic to go to the site...
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Slogans - banks and insurers
Here's some slogans - amazing how many have changed since I left Australia!
NAB logo...
Here's three uses of the new NAB logo - is it possible that in a faster paced world, companies are feeling more inclined to shorten the name they're known by?
I can see how they would have two layouts - vertical and horizontal. When you consider the places this has to go - signage, withdrawl slips, bank books, credit cards, side-of-oval advertising - the list goes on - it's easy to see how they would get much more use out of having a logo that can work both ways. Notice, though, the slightly different shades of black (see! It does come in blacker!!). Perhaps that's just web-funny...
I did notice, though, that on a community charity's website, the logo looked a lot different. Perhaps it was the charity, not getting it quite right, or perhaps it's a deliberate softening of the logo for this particular use? What do you think?
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Japanese logo
On the forum today I got all carried away with talking about the difficulty I have finding fonts here in Japan and being able to analyse them in the same way I would an English-language logo, mainly because of the typography.
Typography is powerful because it alludes to other things symbols might not. It also creates unity across the entire branding of a company, from letterheads to signage. I am exploring this issue because I think it's making me more aware of the power of logotype, and even more, the power of logos to convey meaning when the logotype cannot be understood.
Below is a logo I found in the paper today - I scanned it and put it through Illustrator, just to clean it up a bit, but in essence it's how it was...I love it and my friend told me the kanji is related to working. Hence he is dubbed the salaryman, but I think an unusual one!
This is kind of an adjunct to my reading notes for week 2...
Assignment 3, Week 2
Logos Using a Variation of a Circle
1. Citibank
I have been fascinated by the Citibank logo ever since I saw this video. It’s great to get some insight into a designer’s mind, and I love the simplicity of this logo, and how, in that simplicity, it alludes to so many things – protection of wealth, security, trust and approachability.
The arch on the top is what really makes it (and so this is submitted as a variation of a circle). It softens the image. Imagine if a hard line were here instead – it would produce a completely different result.
See the video on how it was created:
http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/dialogbox/type_is_image.html
2. Gravis Logo
I came across this logo when looking at bags online, and I noticed how the logo is the only thing that really stands out about the bag. Without it, it would have just been a plain black dispatch bag, but with it, the bag has an identity that says hip, urban and cool.
3. Penguin
Ever since I was a kid, I loved this logo, and I'm so happy that it has never changed (has it?? Maybe they pulled a subtle MYER change on us somewhere along the line!).
It's the circle around the penguin that neatly sews this up into a colourful, playful and coherent symbol, easily recognisable by anyone who owns at least two books!
1. Citibank
I have been fascinated by the Citibank logo ever since I saw this video. It’s great to get some insight into a designer’s mind, and I love the simplicity of this logo, and how, in that simplicity, it alludes to so many things – protection of wealth, security, trust and approachability.
The arch on the top is what really makes it (and so this is submitted as a variation of a circle). It softens the image. Imagine if a hard line were here instead – it would produce a completely different result.
See the video on how it was created:
http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/dialogbox/type_is_image.html
2. Gravis Logo
I came across this logo when looking at bags online, and I noticed how the logo is the only thing that really stands out about the bag. Without it, it would have just been a plain black dispatch bag, but with it, the bag has an identity that says hip, urban and cool.
3. Penguin
Ever since I was a kid, I loved this logo, and I'm so happy that it has never changed (has it?? Maybe they pulled a subtle MYER change on us somewhere along the line!).
It's the circle around the penguin that neatly sews this up into a colourful, playful and coherent symbol, easily recognisable by anyone who owns at least two books!
Response to Readings Week 2
Rob Frankel: The Revenge of Brand X
How would you apply Frankel's Prime Directive to a Plumber?
Frankel's prime directive, first of all, would be best described as making a brand all about the customer, and making sure the impression you leave with them is that your business is the only choice. This means that your mark has to be distinctive - that is, it captures the imagination and intrigue of potential clients in an instant, while at the same time, setting you apart from your competition.
In order to do this, the first thing any designer should do is get to know the company they are designing for, who their clients are and what their competition is doing. With this background, along with the goals of the client, the branding can begin - and this branding should incorporate all aspects of the business, not just the logo.
So, if we were to apply this to a plumber, we would first have to research as mentioned above, as well as look at how the logo will be applied - will it be in Yellow Pages ads? (Definitely.) Will it be on the side of plumbing vans? Uniforms? Letterheads, business cards, pens, gifts....is there something special that the service likes to give its clients? A free toilet plunger with every toilet unblocked? Why not!
Perhaps delving deeper into this can reveal a character that is endemic to the company that no one else has - a humour or character - perhaps the face of this character can become the face of the business - a cartoon character to go on all company merchandise, equipment and stationary.
It's impossible to say here and now what the design might end up looking like before all of the research is done, but suffice to say, of course Frankel's directive can be applied to a plumber - it can be applied to any company that wants to get its message out well beyond a logo, and extend it's branding philosophy to every aspect of the company, from pipes to apprentices.
In this case, it would be interesting to consider the differences between logo and logotype. If, for instance, we went with a cartoon character (anyone know of Jim's Mowing, just because of the huge logo plastered on every company van?), then there would be more weight given to the character, but not so much in that the name of the company was hard to read.
Also, the logotype would be very important if you decided to use the company's URL instead of the name, which is increasingly happening these days, especially on the side of vans! Whatever the balance, using a typeface that supports the idea behind the logo is very important.
Lastly, there really shouldn't be a difference between logo design, corporate identity and branding. If there is, then one of these factors has not been taken into consideration properly: either the company has not considered the deeper applications of branding (such as staff training), or the designer has failed to get enough information on the company's profile and future goals to ensure the logo speaks of the entire organisation.
How would you apply Frankel's Prime Directive to a Plumber?
Frankel's prime directive, first of all, would be best described as making a brand all about the customer, and making sure the impression you leave with them is that your business is the only choice. This means that your mark has to be distinctive - that is, it captures the imagination and intrigue of potential clients in an instant, while at the same time, setting you apart from your competition.
In order to do this, the first thing any designer should do is get to know the company they are designing for, who their clients are and what their competition is doing. With this background, along with the goals of the client, the branding can begin - and this branding should incorporate all aspects of the business, not just the logo.
So, if we were to apply this to a plumber, we would first have to research as mentioned above, as well as look at how the logo will be applied - will it be in Yellow Pages ads? (Definitely.) Will it be on the side of plumbing vans? Uniforms? Letterheads, business cards, pens, gifts....is there something special that the service likes to give its clients? A free toilet plunger with every toilet unblocked? Why not!
Perhaps delving deeper into this can reveal a character that is endemic to the company that no one else has - a humour or character - perhaps the face of this character can become the face of the business - a cartoon character to go on all company merchandise, equipment and stationary.
It's impossible to say here and now what the design might end up looking like before all of the research is done, but suffice to say, of course Frankel's directive can be applied to a plumber - it can be applied to any company that wants to get its message out well beyond a logo, and extend it's branding philosophy to every aspect of the company, from pipes to apprentices.
In this case, it would be interesting to consider the differences between logo and logotype. If, for instance, we went with a cartoon character (anyone know of Jim's Mowing, just because of the huge logo plastered on every company van?), then there would be more weight given to the character, but not so much in that the name of the company was hard to read.
Also, the logotype would be very important if you decided to use the company's URL instead of the name, which is increasingly happening these days, especially on the side of vans! Whatever the balance, using a typeface that supports the idea behind the logo is very important.
Lastly, there really shouldn't be a difference between logo design, corporate identity and branding. If there is, then one of these factors has not been taken into consideration properly: either the company has not considered the deeper applications of branding (such as staff training), or the designer has failed to get enough information on the company's profile and future goals to ensure the logo speaks of the entire organisation.
MYER Logo & Slogan redesign
Here's the logo and slogan together - I really wanted to put a line under the slogan, but it would have been too much with the line already under the logo - ah well!
MYER Letterhead & Business Card Redesign
NOTE: I have had to update this because I missed something! I admit, I hated the slogan cluttering up the business card, so I begged permission form the company to let me design a two-sided card " ) They said "oh, sure! We're abig company!" Bless 'em... Here's my original post (but changed images...)
Here's my take on MYER - I tried to fight off the urge to be too creative and instead tried to keep 'corporation' and 'department store' in mind. The white space was around the edges of each only show up in this blog, not in the design itself - the grey watermark goes right to the edge...promise!
Basically I used a more modern looking font - thinner lines and a bit more sleek, instead of the bulky typeface they use now. I wanted to incorporate some colour, but as there is no current corporate colour, this was difficult, not to mention trying to figure out WHO the colour would speak to (men or women?). So, in the end, I decided on adding a touch of light grey to reflect a more modern and funky feel, which can also be used across the stationary. I used the same grey for the watermark on the business card, and I like the way it acts a divider for the information, and breaks up all the black text.
For the letterhead, I lightened the watermark slightly, so as to not interfere with the text that will be written over it. I reincorporated the grey into a dividing glyph down the bottom of the page, in between all the contact details.
That's it!
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