Studio Brief 1 – Logotype - Development and Crit

Logotype Development 

Since the first crit I have experimented with creating ligatures from the 'INI' and the 'IC'.

Initially I took a reductive approach and minimized the 'N' to a diagonal stroke however this created too much white space within the ligature. When I added parts of the uprights back into the 'N' to fill the space a little it ended up looking too similar to the starting forms. For the final 'INI' I want it to be more subtle within the logotype so I think the best way of doing this would be through connecting serifs or using close kerning as this would tie in with the rest of the logotype better.

I also experimented with creating a 'IC' ligature by placing one within the other. However when put in context with the rest of the logotype it reminded me of an abstract dollar sign and looked a little blingy which doesn't fit in with the intended personality of the logotype.

From my initial sketches I began to refine my ideas to ones I thought worked well. To refine my ideas further I compared similar ones to choose the five which I wanted to digitalise.

Refinement of ideas

Some ideas had similar properties such as they were all in sans serif but one was italics and one was not or they had the same ligatures but the brackets were curved in one and not the other. By comparing similar designs in this way I was able to identify which created the personality I wanted for my brand.

Refinement of ideas

Refinement of ideas

Personality traits I wanted to have in my final five designs.

- Performance

- Masculinity

- Power 

- Movement

Final five Logotypes

Features I wanted to have in my final five designs 

- Uppercase letters create the impression of authority and dominance. With increased weight they also evoke a sense of power and boldness.

- Italics create a sense of movement and speed which is important within sport.

- All five designs use the 'CL' ligature which I think creates good flow within the logotype as well as directing the eye along the brand name.

- Serifs are used in varied frequency. Designs with less serifs create a more modern and bold feeling whereas designs with more serifs and curved brackets give the impression of history and reliability. 

Final five Logotypes (drawn)

Final five digitalised logotypes

Once digitalised I increased the stroke weight to make the logotypes bolder and also compressed them so they were shorter which I think makes them read as one better.

Final digital designs

Crit Feedback

The following crit consisted of leaving our current five designs out for people to view and write comments about. We had to write down the name of the brand , our type of company and the personality traits we were trying to portray within the brand.

We also had to ask three questions which people would answer when they viewed the work.

Mine were:

- Which is more effective italics or normal?

- Which is your favourite? Why?

- Which 'INI' is the most effective?

Feedback and Responses

Overall Crit Feedback

Which is more effective italics or normal?

In general most people preferred italics as this created an 'on the move' feel to the logotype however some suggested that the normal type created a strong and masculine feel whilst also appearing more professional.

Which is your favourite? Why?

The top design was by far the logotype that people thought was the most effective as a sports/ basketball logotype. It was said in particular that the design flowed well with the use of natural ligatures. There was said to be good balance between serifs and non serifs within the logotype and that the italics created the impression of movement which fits with my company direction. 

Which 'INI' is the most effective?

Generally people had mixed views about which 'INI' was the most effective however a small group of people thought that the top logotype was again the better design.with the serif of the 'N' becoming the tittle of the 'I'.  

Other interesting comments

Some people preferred having only one ligature so as not to overwork the logotype. The 'CL' ligature in the third design was said to add aspects of traditional and modern with the use of serifs and ligatures.

Other things to try 

It was suggested whether I could find a way of creating a smooth link between the L and the rest of the word. However I had tried doing this in my initial sketches but it was hard to do this without making the 'L' and 'I' look like a 'U'.

As a general consensus, a majority of feedback said that the top design was the most fitting to the company direction, so I will use this as the logotype in my context images.