The first question I usually ask is, "What does your Brand look like, how do you identify your Brand?". The response is usually stating the need to create something or modify what might already exist. So I get to work on learning who the client is, what they did, how they did it and so forth. This process that I have called "Discovery" for 15 years was now being utilized to understand what I was not sure yet whether I would understand, this was the beginning of MASA FL, an offshoot of MASA Osh Kosh, a mission aviation support association.
I continued to listen and wrap my mind around this story of how an aviation gathering was used to support missionaries out in the field. As the story began to unfold I had an idea of how to communicate a bit of this story in a Brand ID Mark. I realized after hearing the story several times and finally understanding the truths about how it works, that my first inclination of how to design the brand was the right way to go. A Global feel but with a center focus on the Highest level of interest that would draw an audience, the right audience... but a new thought came, do this while offering the true message of this ministry in a rather nebulous way - Let those who have eyes to see, see!
As spoken in the parable of the sower, Matthew 13, "But blessed are your eyes because they see", I wanted the plane, the focus of aviation to also be the focus of the brand but only for those who would see it, the plave was actually illustrated and positioned in the same manner as the Crucifix, the cross Jesus was crucified on, the real reason for this mission above and beyond any aviation efforts within.
Confident Self Image needed Brand Identity and after many talks with the client and considerations of the generous amounts of feedback and advice she was given by friends in the marketing business and otherwise, a decision was made to move to help add recognition and identity for forward motion of the Brand. We spoke of what the client wanted to portray in this business, the products and purpose of them and how we could bring recognition to a core focus of what the product line was and could be in a consumers life. Of course this is what I always speak of in these circumstances, isn't it?
A brief was defined, which helped clarify this focus and I moved forward to define the right elements to accomplish the task at hand. After reviewing some collateral that had been created within the clients past, I came across a concept that could be revisited, but upon being asked the client was unsure of it from the beginning, hesitated in using it and simply did not like the execution of it and continued searching for something that would work. I saw what the concept could be and convinced her it would work, so I hit the drawing board.
The result is what you see in this blog post. A woman who is confident in her stature, figure and appearance portraying her self image with confidence. The brief for this brand stated three prime focal points, confidence, femininity and physical apperance of the female shape. With a broad audience and appeal the client is focused on apparel and fashion with a functional active side that helps enhance a woman's self confidence in her everyday life apparel, in her active wear choices and in her ability to be confident in common situations in the gym or in just about everywhere.
Confidence can be infectious, allowing this activewear clothing line to translate to more confidence in the gym, to more confidence out of the gym to more confidence of self image. I can honestly say, in the result of this Brand Development, the client is "Confident!".
I believe in icons, I do, but I believe the strength in an icon is more than its power to lead and dictate Brand Identity, direction or functionality. We live in a world of iconic recognition with all the icon driven apps and buttons on all the devices we own from our Operating Systems on desktops and laptops to iPads and iPhones and all the wonderfully powered Android devices, etc. But what else can an icon do.........
......Attract..... Attract your audience to want to see what in the heck you actually offer! After all shouldn't your Brand draw an audience, or Identify what you do in some way shape or form? Shouldn't your Brand lend to your audience some semblance of what you offer or what your product is or what industry you are in with some lending to that "AH Hah" moment that a client gets when they see the connection between your Brand and your product?!
To be honest, the icon in the DigiSol logo is not necessarily recognizable by the entire world, but is an example of how to narrow your audience to bring in qualified clients who do recognize what you do. According to this client, that is what they wanted, clients who recognize them for their technological prowess and development capabilities.
In the end I think it draws on that part of a person that needs to know what it is........ at that point my job has succeeded. Getting attention, the first rule of marketing.
A successful Thirty One leader asked for a Mark that would represent her leadership group and downline of aspiring successful ThirtyOne leaders. The mark is to represent the communication efforts to this group giving them a sub brand under the prime Corporate Identity of ThirtyOne and allowing for particular identity within that group. The circle was chosen as it is an easy shape to integrate with marketing and communication efforts as well as physical items such as buttons or t-shirts during conferences where they want to stand out amongst the other groups.
The real purpose of this blog is to show the evolution of design and interactive work that comes through my doors along with the DIVERSITY and COMPLEXITY that seems to keep me on a roller coaster, while hopefully creating a replica of the journey I am on with design, technology, etc.
I posted a few weeks ago some logo comps for Finishing Touches, they were line art black and whites and although I dont want to get in the habit of posting beginnings and endings of projects and flood this blog with every detail of what I am working on while in the proverbial soup, there are some things that we will get to see the "Start designs" and then get to see the "Final Designs" while other posts will just be like hey look what I just completed.
So without any further "Adieu" here is the final versions of the Finishing Touches Brand Identity design work. I am working on their website now and will have results to show soon.
The top version of the Mark is the high res, Raster texture version, primary use will be all things that it fits on and within without going Large Format. The second version is the B&W vector version and the final version is the color vector version of the texture. The final version will be used on anything Large scale like Banners, trade show booths, signage, etc.
Recently finished some black and white composites for a new Brand Identity for Finishing Touches a window film application company specializing in LLumar films for Residential, Commercial, Auto, Boat, RV and many other applications. As you can see from the lower comps, a focus on energy savings and the "green" Eco Friendly approach has been integrated through the icon leaf representing an Earth Friendly initiative, but there are many other applications and effective reasons for Window security film. Many of these will be outlined in the coming marketing materials.
I will post the final Brand Identity mark in this post as soon as it is finished. More to come...
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