My most common projects are logo and branding projects. To best show you my design process when it comes to branding, we are going to look at my most recent project for Kyle with Land of the Dad. This project was a lot of fun, and was for my first ever winner of my logo giveaway contest.
Branding Vs. Logo
What’s the difference you may be asking…? Let’s break it down.
My most basic logo package is called Vector Logo, and it’s just a logo. Logos can take a lot of different forms, but this is just a standard logo on a single color background. Sometimes thats all you need, but in most instances you need more components to complete your brand.
My branding package takes it a step further and gives you a logo that has multiple variations, usually it will incorporate an icon, colors, fonts, and so much more! These elements give you the building blocks for your visual identity, Let me show you how this came together with the Land of the Dad project.
Concept
As with all my projects, we started with a consultation call, where I discovered Kyles needs and learned about the origins of the name (Land of the Dad). During this call I learned that he needed the logo to incorporate some icons that visually described the four areas he talks about in his blog. We decided that the logo was going to have a badge logo style to it, and that it need to work well with his website, and social media channels.
Concept 1 - The Compass
My first idea was to create a concept that looked like a compass. The name Land of the Dad evokes ideas of adventure, and since it’s for a blog that talks about personal growth, marriage, fatherhood and need for community, an instrument that gives you direction seemed to be a great fit. I also found this great font that the “F” in “of” looked like it could become the hands of the compass. Though this was not the winning concept, it was definitely a great idea, and helped me to develop concept #2. Also it wasn’t as strong of a candidate to have multiple variations of the logo, like concept #2 did.
Concept 2 - X marks the spot
The second concept started with the idea of an icon, that is an X with the letters L - O - T - D around it. From there I worked through some fonts to find something that had good structure to it, but had some ruggedness to it. Again trying to tie in the idea of adventure. This concept was simple, very badge styled, but had potential to be used in a lot of different ways. It took its ultimate shape once I had the icons for the four topics of his blog. I put them around the X instead of the letters, and once I saw it in this form, I knew this was the one.
The Icons
We took this project to the full branding package and created some icons for his blog. He had some cool imagery in mind for his icons, the Tree, Wave, Rings, and the Anvil. I will let Kyle explain his reasoning for those elements, but I knew I needed these to really set his branding framework.
Colors
I always start my logo and branding projects in black and white. My theory is if your logo can’t look good in just black and white, then it's not going to an effective design. I got really excited when Kyle asked about bringing in color. We did initially have some different thoughts on colors for the brand, but I knew when I found this picture on Unsplash (see photo left), that these needed to be the colors for his brand. The photo itself evokes the feelings of adventure, and the colors were FIRE!!!! Not literaly, but there was something refreshing and awe-inspiring to it. According to color psychology - “Teal combines the calming properties of blue with the renewal qualities of green. It is a revitalizing and rejuvenating color that also represents open communication and clarity of thought.” What a powerful thing to communicate about a blog, through the use of color.
Design
The final design only changed slightly from the concept. The addition of the scripture reference at the top of the logo and box around the icons were the only major changes. Here we also established the various forms of the logo, the main logo, the secondary logo, and the icons.
Every project is different, and it’s one of the reasons why I love what I do. Creating the visual identity for a brand, from the ground up, is one of the best things that I get to create. Having a clear and cohesive visual identity is a major key in creating credibility with your potential audience and/or customers. In a future post we will talk more in-depth about all the other elements that are involved in great branding, not just the visual identity piece.
Do you need help with building the visual identity for your brand or project…? Is your current branding telling the right story…? Lets work together to establish an identity that communicates who you are and what you do. Use the form below to connect with me, and leave a comment about your favorite thing in the Land of the Dad logo. Also go show Kyle some love and follow him on his socials Insta & FB, and check out his blog here.