A logo case study
We thought a case study would be a great way to show you what goes on when we get the assignment of creating a new logo. We’ve written previously about how we start a branding project by learning about a client’s core identity and values, as well as the social context in which their business or organization exits (see more about that here). What then follows is a mixture of mass idea generation in the form of sketches, developing them on computer, refinement of a few options to show our client, and then careful fine-tuning based on the feedback we receive.
This case study uses our work for the Young Greens of Canada. They came to us with a need for a logo redesign and as you can see in the graphic to the left, their previous logo was not highly distinctive or telling and lacked any visual connection to the Green Party of Canada brand.
In this particular case, the need to create a visual connection with the “mother brand” resulted in our solutions quite obviously being variations on a theme. As you’ll see in the four options we presented, ideas of youth were suggested by using a flower bud or a gritty aesthetic; the idea of a multi-faceted and energetic organization was suggested by using the flower-leaf symbolism repeatedly.
After this first round of logo options were presented, discussion with the Young Greens resulted in coming up with variations to two front-runners. This included the addition of the colour purple, variations on the relationship between typography and the graphic element, as well as specifics of the way the bud was treated, in the case of the right-hand version, below. These tweaks were made within the original context of feeling professional, youthful and relating to the mother brand.
The final logo is as shown below. The six petals refer to the Young Greens’ six core values and the expanded colour palette creates a youthful energy not evident in their original logo and which aids in extending the identity.
From here a brand guide was developed to help the Young Greens incorporate their new identity into their various materials.