Studio Brief 2 - Logo Developments

After doing the sketched designs it became clear that this lady bird design was on of the more successful illustrations. I began by doing a simple digital mock-up of this, focusing on the lines of the main body which were meant to resemble text.

I then experimented with the line thickness to make the illustration seem like it used brush marks. This was to create a more contemporary and soft aesthetic around the design.

There was some concern that the ladybird design didn't seem so mature and appealing to students, so some of the other bugs were scanned just to give an idea of how they could look. Eventually I went back to the original design as I though it had the most potential, these however were useful for other designs.

There was then some experimentation into type, there was some consideration that the type could be placed inside the body, making the design compact.

This uses Kalinga for the typeface and by varying the size and angles it has a playful aesthetic. In some ways the writing worked better in the circle and I received some feedback that this was the better choice - rather than using an illustration.

Eventually smaller details were made to the design, like the detail on the wings and the antenna, making sure everything was aligned and symmetrical. I wanted to develop the illustration further instead of the circle as I thought it seemed like it had the most potential for the cafe, giving it a theme that could be carried forward. Perhaps the circle direction would have created something more mature though.

Then colour variations were made using research into the least distracting colours. These colours were noted as the most easy to view and were less likely to distract in the cafe, the turquoise in particular was explored. However, at this point it became clear that the logo had become something slightly childish. It can be linked to reading but not for adults, it seems more like a kids event with its bright colours, playful type and simplistic illustration.

So then more development was made into ways of making the brand seem more contemporary, a dung beetle was even looked at in order to seem 'cooler' and less obvious. This however was also eventually left behind.

The next thing was some experimentation with using type on the main part of the body as if the wings are revealing the pages of a book. For the this I used a Romeo and Juliet monologue. This did seem a little more contemporary and age appropriate. After feedback there was also some interest in the oval design as it seemed mature and simple but also considered. This was then developed further as a result.

The oval was developed and so was the typeface. Eventually a Sans Serif typeface was chosen in order for it to seem more literary focused. The tracking was changed so it was far apart, making it clear and bold; Aparajita was used for this. Once this was done there some interest in the watercolour circle experimented with, this was taken forward briefly.

In some ways the watercolour effect looked like a coffee ring which was experimented with, this did link it further to the coffee shop aesthetic but I thought overall it crowded the design. By using this watercolour tone it also appeared to be less for students and more for an elderly audience.

This final logo was decided on because its simple lines and negative space appeared professional and contemporary. The illustrations also alluded to a friendly vibe, encouraging students that this cafe is somewhere welcoming.