Logo Design Case Study: Givr

Givr is a loyalty points scheme that will deliver donations to global charities on card purchases as an alternative to the low personal rewards of high street retailers and supermarkets. I was commissioned to develop a visual identity that would resolve the brands modern and technological approach to giving but executed with a friendly accessible subtly.

The Givr identity represents sharing and cooperation through the handwritten qualities of a custom script based logo-type. Its consistent line weight, geometric construction and flat terminals add a technological undertone while the internal space allows the identity to adopt the colours of partnered brands and credit cards. A heart has been subtly built into the ‘v’ character (and partially reflected across the ligature and loops) to reflect the act of giving while its circular frame visualises the environmental, sustainable worldwide causes that benefit from the donations, our individual responsibility to the global community and draws in the aspect of money in its coin like form. The colour palette captures the duality of the brand by mixing a brick-red, to emphasise care and love, while an alternative cool green reinforces the aspect of technology and a forward thinking company. These are executed as single spot colour print job to keep the brand focused, free of superfluous detail, consistent and appear practical with its resources. An accompanying slab serif typeface introduces a down to earth and trustworthy sensibility to the brand that is also carried through a simple stamp and over print treatment across the collateral’s uncoated substrate.

Logo Design Case Study: Brownies Atelier

Brownies Atelier is a Lima based business, run by Christel Krumdiek, that produces finely flavoured and handcrafted brownies. Packed in uniquely designed boxes the brownies reflect Christel’s artistic background, passion for high quality, natural ingredients and her creative recipes. I was commissioned to develop an identity and two packaging options that would capture the texture and exclusivity of the products while positioning the brand as a sophisticated alternative to the typically cakey Peruvian brownie.

Inspired by the high fashion industry the Brownies Atelier logo-type utilises the bold geometry of District Medium with an extended horizontal width, wide letter-spacing and a monochromatic colour palette with the intention of resolving the message of exclusive sophistication in a clear and simple manner. This has been juxtaposed alongside a symbol with finer details to characterise the texture and depth of flavour and is based around a contemporary interpretation of a classic monogram to represent the artisan nature of the brand. The introduction of the owner’s initials CK and the date 2012 implies a confidence in quality, pride in establishment and takes its cues from the hand-stamped mark of a craftsman. The symbol’s overall geometry reflects the square cut of the brownies but tilted to form a diamond and infers a sense of high quality while its concentric construction allows it to be stripped down for smaller applications.

These visual assets will be executed across a rich copper foil fold-out box, a hammered 260gsm white sleeve with a number of print treatments (foil stamp, blind emboss and thermographic ink) and a perforated vinyl sticker to emphasise the themes of layered texture and rich luxury. The business cards were tested across an uncoated 600gsm substrate with two colour options and offer a bit more restraint alongside the techniques utilised across the packaging.

Logo Design: Baird

Since my last rebrand (over 4 years ago I think) I haveve completely changed my processes, the style of work I do and now spend a lot of time writing and reviewing design. As such I did not feel my identity was truly representative of where I am so have worked up an idea I have had on my mind for a while.

The two parts of a complete circle represent a dual brand and packaging service and the complimentary approach I take while the slight tilt adds a more unconventional quality. The utilitarian stencil aesthetic characterises a practical, systematic approach and the often minimal solutions (this is also emphasised by the simple geometry of the letter-forms). The flourishes across the ‘a’ and ‘r’ are designed to offset this slightly and give a slightly broader impression of my abilities as well as drawing in creativity and the written aspect of my work. A mono-line weight across each component delivers a consistent sense of reliability but also one of appropriate restraint, this weight changes depending on the size and context of the application to retain legibility.

The business cards have been created using a 600gsm uncoated stock and feature ‘project’ and blog stickers.

Recent Visual Identities

Logo Design Case Study: Aloxia

Aloxia is a new secure earring back product that aims to solve the problem of lost earrings through a unique gripping mechanism. The company approached me (Richard Baird) last year to establish a visual identity system that would resolve the practicality, utilitarian and accessible qualities of the brand and the fashion aspect of the accessory market.

As part of any branding identity exercise I spent time the first part of the project identifying and distilling the primary propositions that made up the brand and their product. Functionality, reliability and accessibility were key factors that had to sit within the accessory market. A simple geometric logo-type constructed from elemental forms extended across a brighter and more fashion orientated pattern emerged as the clearest way of communicating such a position.

The elemental construction and rounded terminals of each character across the Aloxia logo-type was designed to fuse a utilitarian functionality with a friendlier and more accessible edge taking into consideration the predominantly female market. These letter-forms extend into a large and colourful geometric pattern and introduce a more fashion led aesthetic as well as operating as a frame for the product. A clear plastic structural design floats the earring backs through the middle of the packaging and showcases the product in a similar way to glass cabinets in fashion boutiques. A UV varnish, raised ink and block foil print treatment add to this experience and contrast with the simplicity of the identity.

The juxtaposition of a bright pattern and monochrome identity creates a duality that comfortably moves between function and fashion. This is emphasised across the printed collaterals by dividing the monotone logo-type and corporate information and the full colour pattern with a UV varnish across either side of the business card, letterhead and compliment slip.

Logo: PCTi

PCTi is a brand of file management software aimed at the healthcare sector. The logo-type was designed to convey speed, efficiency and reliability while the blue and white colour palette encapsulates the clean clinical nature of the industry but also offers a sense of technology. The lower-case ‘i’ was chosen to build on its associations with computing and future innovation. Each individual letter was created specifically for this project.

Designed in collaboration with Three Rooms.

Case Study: Jabberworx

Jabberworx is an independent Australian game development company who recently commissioned me to develop a new identity that would visually characterise the high quality nature of their games, their professional approach and playful sensibilities. The solution I delivered is based around the theme of ‘works’ (industry) and community from which I created a bespoke logo-type, three individual logo-marks and a pattern. Each of these elements can be combined to represent the wider ambitions of the company and the global community of gamers.

The letter-forms of the logo-type were developed from scratch and utilise stencil cuts and wide geometric forms to consolidate both technological and industrial aesthetics. The ‘ab’ pairing was adjusted to form a subtle infinity loop to represent endless gaming possibilities and adds another layer of depth. Three individual symbols were created to characterise the key brand propositions of high production quality, intuitive gaming mechanics and the concept of sharing experiences and achievements with a global community. These and the characters of the logo-type were kept intentionally bold, simple and geometric to contrast against the very organic and often frenetic nature of the games.

Drawing on the beehive, a place of activity, co-operation and sharing, the logo-marks hexagonal forms are built into a repeating pattern that analogises the complimentary union of the three brand propositions and are utilised on the back of the stationary and as part of the start-up screen. The large colour palette was developed to juxtapose and balance out the industrial and technological themes with playful tones that represent fun, inclusivity and diversity.

Featured on the Zeixs blog.

Case Study: Tyrrell Design Ltd

Tyrrell Design is an independent company providing design, construction and certification services throughout England, Scotland and Wales. The owner contacted me back in 2009 to develop an identity that would convey their business in an accessible friendly manner and avoid visual clichés associated with the industry.

My client and I began by keying down the core services of the company which were design, construction and certification and from there I spent time researching the market and sketching. There were two core ideas that emerged, the first was a 3D structural identity, that represented both the physical aspect of the industry and the three dimensions/services that made up the company. The second was to develop a simplified visual representation of the integrated nature of these services in the form of overlapping houses, hoops and buildings.

While researching companies and images relating to the company name I stumbled across a Celtic symbol called the Tyrrell Knot which is made up of three interlinking triangles with a circle at the centre. This was an extremely lucky find as the number of points and services matched perfectly while the circle suitably represented the companies integrated nature. I spent time developing earlier sketch concepts prior to presenting this to justify (both to myself and the client) that this was the most suitable direction.

I merged the symbol with three simple houses to tie the logo-mark back to the sector and are loosely based on the houses in the game Monopoly to add a playful and fun twist to an otherwise industrial identity.

The warm colour palette was designed to deliver an accessible sensibility while moving it away from the standard architectural colours of blue and green.

The earlier structural design titled ‘T’ features in Logolounge Volume 6