Kieran Green Photography

Brief

First I copied out the brief from the original on the website and highlighted key points. This will help me when designing because instead of having to read through the whole brief to find key design areas I can just scan over key words and phrases which will improve the process and help me know what to focus on. I also added in any images that were included in the brief as references because these were all intended by the client to influence and inspire designs since these are styles that he had selected himself. From the brief I found out that the client wanted a modern and professional look for his logo, and liked a combination of image and text that could be separated and still retain brand identity. From this images he provided I also can take inspiration from the fact that the 'image' part is always the persons initials merged together so I figure this is something he likes and something I should try out.

Research

Next I carried out some research to further influence and inspire my designs. I decided to find logos from similar companies to see what is already out there and give me some relevant inspiration for my designs. Again a combination of the photographers initials was a popular theme as opposed to having the full name written out because it allows the logo to be condensed for business cards e.t.c. so this is definitely a route I would like to go down.

I also did some typography focused research and found some effective examples of when the letters have been integrated to create the image part of the logo. This will be helpful when coming up with designs as I can take elements from each of these and use them as inspiration as I feel all of the logos below are very effective.

Finally I researched some typefaces for the text element of the designs. I wanted something simple and sans serif so that it wouldn't become too decorative against the image and would keep a simple modern and contemporary feel as requested by the client. My favourite typeface is probably the first one because the thinner stroke and wide spacing makes it look clean and elegant but the sans serif style gives it a modern and contemporary edge as requested by the client.

Initial Ideas

First I created some initial ideas. I based it around the initials of his name after deciding to do this after carrying out my research. I tried out various layouts and also experimented with boxing it in within various shapes. Doing this on paper helped me to quickly try out lots of ideas instead of taking time to make each on screen and allowed me to carry forward my best ideas and spend time developing those.

Developing my ideas

I then created some of my initial ideas on screen. I tried drawing them out using the pen tool but I couldn't really get the quality of finish I wanted, and although I liked some of these ideas on paper they didn't work as nicely on screen so I decided to come up with some new ones.

I played a little further with a previous idea but it still wasn't up to the standard I wanted so I began to develop some new ideas. I wanted to stick with the idea of combining his initials so I started to try out a variety of ways of blending the two letters together using the pen tool. I think they look a bit too chunky at the moment so I will need to play around with them a bit more and get them more refined.

I worked on further refining one of the ideas to make it more compact and I think it looks more effective like this because you can still see the letters but it is more concise and simplified. I also began working on ideas of placing the 'k' inside of the 'g' to try out a different layout and have something less angular and more circular to make it softer because I wanted to be able to show the client a variety of styles of design to give him a varied choice.

I then began refining the circular idea by thickening the stroke to make it stand out more and playing around with the 'k' shape inside. I decided to round the edges in the end because I felt this gave it a clearer appearance as a 'k' and the shape wasn't very clear with the straight edges. 

Next I played around with the background of the designs by giving them some containers and began to add a little typography. I tried them out in simple square and circle shapes because the designs are quite complex so I just wanted something that would contain them but not overcomplicate the design. I think typeface I tried out here is too bold and something more subtle and thinner stroked is needed as it is too much with the bold high contrast design.

I then tried out a thinner stroked typeface and I think this looked a lot more effective as it is simple and subtle but all very clear and has good legibility and compliments the design instead of competing against it. I increased the tracking on the word 'photography' to differentiate it from his name as I wanted to use the same font for simplicity so doing this helped give a small contrast and a better aesthetic. I also played around with colour schemes to see how the design worked with a colour background. I think it still looks very effective especially with bold colours as this gives a good contrast with the white. I will submit the designs in black and white but I will most likely also submit a colour option to show how the designs will work, as no colour scheme was specified on the brief so the client could choose this himself to ensure its tailored to his company.

I then tried out some of my other designs with this new font and text layout and tried them out inside different shapes and layouts. I think the circular shapes seem to compliment the designs the best as the overall finish is softer and more elegant but the squares make the design bolder and have more impact so the most suitable will depend on the taste of the client therefore I will most likely submit both. 

I wanted to test out colour on one of my other designs to see if it was as versatile as the first one and I found this also worked very nicely with high contrast bold colours and even adding colour to the graphic itself. As I decided above I will be submitting them in black and white (but still show a colour option to show how colour could be used) but doing this helped me to ensure the design would work in other colours and helped me to choose it as one of my final designs.

Final Outcomes

I chose three main designs for my final outcomes, and decided to present them in a circle and a square so that the client can choose the shape they prefer. I went for the same layout and typography for each design because I think this typeface compliments all the designs because of the simplicity. I decided to present them in black and white, but also showed the client a colour option to show how colour could be added to the designs if wanted. I think these designs are effective because they can be separated into image and text as requested by the client, are bold and modern and contemporary as requested, and give the client a brand identity based around his name without having to involve anything to do with a camera as the client wasn't keen on that. I think they are simple but bold and will have an impact because of the bold shapes and contrasts and the designs clearly link to his name.

To further test my final outcomes I also tried them out on the clients existing website. I think they all look effective because the bold contrast of colours really makes the logo stand out off the page and the design looks clear and contemporary. The client mentioned he wanted to add the logo to his website so I thought it would be a good idea to check that my designs would be suitable.

The client also mentioned about possibly rolling the logo out to business cards e.t.c so I also tried out each design on the front of some business cards to show how they can also be effective for stationary. I think the image part of the logo really stands out off the card and this also shows how the design can be separated and the image can be used alone as requested by the client.

Paisley Bay

First I copied out the brief and highlighted key parts that my designs will need to be influenced by. The client also included some images of paisley's to take inspiration from and a logo she liked and I can use these as the initial inspiration for my designs to make sure it suits the clients needs.

Next I found some logos for similar style companies to see what existing companies have done and find the style of logos I think are most effective to take inspiration from. From looking at these I found serif and script fonts seem to work best with illustrated elements so these are the style of fonts I will be most likely to look at to go with the paisley illustration.

I also did some research into paisley shapes so that I could make my designs as accurate as possible and take inspiration from a variety of these to create the perfect paisley design.

Next I created some quick initial ideas. I created some quick paisley designs and tried out a couple of different layout and font styles so get an idea of what worked best before taking it on to the computer.

Next I found some fonts that I thought could be suitable. I stuck mainly to serif and script fonts as I found these worked well in my research but also found a couple of sans serif fonts because I didn't want to completely rule them out. I then started drawing some paisley designs and tested them out with some of the fonts to help me choose the most effective font and started playing around with layouts. The client also mentioned liking white text on a fray background so I tested out some fonts and paisleys on these as well. I think this looks effective because it looks elegant and also looks a lot softer than the boldness of the black text so this is something I would like to experiment further with. I presented the bottom three grey and white designs for feedback and was told to refine the paisley shape further so this is the next development I will do.

I created a new paisley shape using the live trace tool and began to incorporate it with one of the serif fonts. I think this looks a lot more professional and refined than the ones I created with the pent tool and works best with the serif font as it looks too decorative and complex when placed with a script font. I tried a couple of different layouts and I think it looks effective when integrated with the text by using it as the dot on the 'i' and the logo provided by the client also used the method of integrating the design with the text so this should suit the clients taste. I also tried out some different layouts with the script font and used one of the hand drawn paisleys as it is subtler and doesn't look overcomplicated when paired with the text. I also tried experimenting more with colour and tried out a pastel blue as mentioned in the brief by the client and I think this looks a lot more delicate than black and works well with white as the contrast is enough that the design stands out but not overpowering.

I then experimented further with this new colour scheme and tried out various ways of enclosing the design with different circles and boxes and layouts within these. I also tested out script fonts further with both paisley designs but I think the serif font looks a lot more high end and sophisticated and is also bolder so has a bigger impact against the blue.

I think this square design is really effective because it encloses the design and brings everything together. I made the paisley quite large so that it is the focal point of the logo. The serif font works better than the script as the legibility is a lot better and the script font overcomplicates the design and makes the whole logo look a little unclear. I also used this design inside a circle but I think the square works better because the size of the paisley and text can be made into a better proportion with each other.

Below are my final designs that I ended up submitting to the client. I thought all of these designs were effective and would suit the brief and client so chose to show all of them so that the client had a variety of choices and could choose the one that suited them best. I think these look effective because the font compliments the paisley design as it is simple and doesn't overpower it but looks elegant and high end as requested by the client. The colour schemes match the ones requested in the brief and look elegant and stand out but are also subtle and understated and I think all of the designs meet the high end luxury style whilst retaining the handmade essence of the company by having the hand drawn paisley element.

Courageous Heart Yoga

Research and Brief

First I wrote out the brief and highlighted key parts. Doing this will be very helpful when designing because instead of reading the entire brief I can scan quickly to important details and I also know key things to include or try out in my designs. From this brief the key points I found are the designs needed to be delicate and have a soft and spiritual feel to them, and a pastel colour scheme was a must. I picked out some colours below the brief to quickly give ideas of a possible colour scheme that I could look back on when designing. 

Next I created some mood boards for further inspiration. First I created a mood board of Miami because this is where the company is based and I wanted to try and capture the feel of the area in my designs. From this mood board I found the area contained lots of soft pink, blue, and peach toned pastel colours which is perfect because these are the colours requested by the client so I can definitely try and incorporate these in my designs. There is also a very laid back and beachy feel to the place and it looks very relaxed and laid back and again this works well with the carefree and spiritual feel the client wanted so again is something I can try and incorporate.

Next I created mood board of existing logos for yoga companies. I kept the search very specific by finding just yoga logos as I wanted to see the style that other companies have gone for and what is popular, and I also feel that the logos that will en capture the mood the client is looking for are those specifically designed for yoga companies. A lot of these logo are a combination of image and text and I think these look very effective and is a style I would like try out. I think the flower shaped designs and yoga figures communicate the relaxation and healing theme the best and would work well for what the client requested so this is another thing I would definitely like to try creating.

Initial Ideas

I drew out some initial designs and experimented with the heart shape to create different floral shapes and yoga poses as these were what I found I wanted to do from my research. I also tried out a couple of layouts so that I had an idea of where I wanted my designs to go before starting on screen.

Development of Ideas



I then used the pen tool to draw out a simple heart shape and played around with lots of different ways to create shapes using just that one heart design. I think the floral shapes look the most effective as I found flowers were a common theme in my research to communicate the healing and spiritual part of the yoga companies and this is what the client wanted the designs to communicate. Using the heart shape links to the name as well as linking to heart and healing as requested in the brief.

I then incorporated the colour scheme in with the shapes. I used mixtures of the three colours suggested by the client and found that when layering them the shapes behind got hidden so I decided to lower the opacity so that the below shapes could show through. I think this gives it a much softer and more delicate look and helps communicate the feeling of heart and healing the client requested.

I also tried just using colour outlines for the shapes but I think these look a bit empty and dont have much impact so wouldn't be suitable for a memorable logo.

I then found some typefaces that I thought could be suitable to work with the logo. I found mostly sans serif typefaces because I wanted something simple that didn't overcomplicate the design and after collecting them all I found I liked the thinner strokes best as the image part of the logo is very delicate and subtle and a lighter stroke compliments it better than the heavier ones. I also found some script typefaces because I thought that the elegance and softness of these could work well for the brief and compliment the delicate design. I then paired some typefaces with some of the image elements I made and found that the script typefaces alone weren't legible enough but worked when mixed with the sans serif to emphasise a single word. I think the mixture of script and sans serif works better than just sans serif as it helps give a subtle contrast between the two lines and adds some elegance to the text part of the logo. I tried some different layouts by placing the image above and alongside the text but I think these layouts need developing further so that it all comes together better.

I then played around the layout of the design. I tried out a bolder sans serif typeface as well but decided to stick to the thinner one because it looks a lot softer and the hand drawn look to it makes it blend in better with the delicate image. I think I like the layout of having the image at the side of the text better because when put above the logo becomes quite chunky and starts too look a bit cluttered and I think it flows nicely across in a line when placed at the side.

I also wanted to create a logo that used the heart shape to represent a yoga pose so that I also have a logo that links directly to the purpose of the company. I tried out various combinations of the heart shape with other simple shapes. I dont think any of these work particularly well because the ones that actually look like a yoga pose with the diamond shapes look too complex but the ones with the heart and circle alone are not obvious as a yoga pose so I would like to develop these further.

I created a new design out of the heart shape that is a lot softer and I think the open arms communicate the message of healing and heart that the client wanted. It is a very simple image so i tried out having the text inside of it and I think this works quite well as it contains it but the design also works with the text alongside as it is so simple so doesn't look overcomplicated. I also tried out a new layout for the previous flower design and placed it in a circle and I think this works nicely as it contains the design and brings it all together.

I did some extra experimentation here and played around a little more with the yoga position logos as well as trying out a new design with a tree within a heart but chose not to develop it any further as it was too complex for a logo.

Here I experimented even further with the yoga pose logo. I think the peach works better than the blue colour scheme as the blue is a bit cold and doesn't bring across the warmth and healing that the peach does. I also played around with the layout a bit more and this helped me to decided the best layout for this design would be lengthways with the logo to the side as it it quite a long image and doesn't work well in a circle. I think the way the image encloses the start of the text gives across a feeling of healing and protection and this links back to what the client wanted.

Final Designs

From all of my development I selected my favourite designs to send off to the client. I decided to send a variety to give the client choice so that they could choose the design that best suited the company.

I think this one is effective because it flows nicely and the heart/flower shape links to the heart and healing feel that the brief wanted. The simple hand written style fonts compliment the image without overpowering it and I think the design looks elegant and delicate and suits the company.

This is the same components as the design above but I chose to enclose them in a circle. This allows the flower shape to be the main focal point as it is pretty equal in the first design. I chose to add the circle as it brings the whole design together and makes the overall design flow better. I made the circle the same pink as in the design to keep the pastel theme and help it compliment the flower.

I think this design meets the brief because the shape represents not only a yoga style pose but also healing and heart as the image encloses the text. I kept the same hand written style font as I wanted something that wouldn't overpower the image and would keep it looking soft and delicate. I think the warm peach colour sticks with the pastel theme the client wanted and also gives across a vibe of warmth and healing.

I also chose to include this layout of the design because this gives the client the option of having a logo that can be broken up as the circle part could be used separately. I think the delicate font compliments the image part of the design and I think it all flows nicely together.