LOGO DESIGN
About the company
The client, Infinity Renewable Energy (IRE) is a cutting-edge high-tech multinational energy company that produces renewable energy. Also, they research developing renewable energy solutions such as solar cells, wind turbines, hydrogen-based technologies, and many other technologies that help reduce the use of fossil fuels. Additionally, they are engaged in promoting the conservation of natural resources and they actively support efforts by various groups engaged in conservation, recycling, education, etc., locally, and more broadly through international organizations. This is a Fortune 500 company (fictional) and they do business nationally and internationally.
In the past, IRE has been doing business exclusively with large utility companies and government agencies nationally and internationally to produce electricity. It has been a major player in the energy sector for years. However, IRE has not been a familiar name in the consumer market.
Recently to expand its market share the company has decided to sell energy-saving products directly to consumers. IRE is about to go through a rebranding process and launch a new marketing campaign to make the company a household name and promote a new line of products that generate renewable energy such as solar panels and small-scale wind and hydro turbines to generate power for local municipalities to individual homes.
The company envisions it will produce and promote high-efficiency appliances for the domestic market such as refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and LED lights, etc.
IRE has over 400,000 employees worldwide and they include researchers, engineers, technicians, and other support staff. Their corporate headquarters is in Maryland.
They have branches and factories around the world.
Project Details
IRE is inviting designers to create visuals for the rebranding of the company.
Their priority is to create new logos to promote their new visual identity. Therefore, they have invited designers to design the following four logos.
Here are the types of logos that need to be designed and established.
- Lettermark Logo
- Symbol logo
- Wordmark logo
- Combination logo
After designing the logos establish the specifications for the logos. Without the specifications, the project is not complete.
The specification should include a) clear space, b) background color, c) minimum scale, and d) color codes CMYK and RGB.
Important guidance and expectation
The client mentions some guidance and expectations on how they expect the successful logos to appear. They have described the expectations in the following manner. Comments from the client:
“We expect the logos to be unique, memorable, simple, elegant, and communicative”.
Symbol Logo: “Consideration should be given, to evoke the expression of clean and renewable energy without being overly descriptive. An abstract image is preferred.” They insist “Do not use symbols or imagery that are easily identifiable such as infinity symbol, recycle symbol wind turbines, light bulbs, leaves, lightning bolts, globes, plugs and other images that are commonly associated with electricity and renewable energy. No logo should resemble an already existing logo or a symbol.”
Furthermore, the client requires all logo designs to be “compact and inspired/derived by Gestalt principles and positive/negative spaces. The logos must have a modern appearance. These logos will appear in small and large scales, and they should be visually strong and identifiable.”
The color palette should not exceed more than four colors for all the logos combined including the background color. (No gradient colors and transparent spaces). Must specify a single background color for all the logos. (They have determined white should be the background color). Try to achieve strong contrast but avoid highly saturated color schemes and vibrating color combinations. They will appear too hot/bright, especially when integrated with other highly saturated colors.
Logos must be designed as vector images. Use Illustrator to design the logos. Once they are designed, save them (each logo separately with its clear space and white background) as .eps files. This is to preserve the quality of the logos for future use.
Symbol logo
This should be a visual without any letters. Also, the logo should not have any gradient colors or transparent shapes. Please refer to the above-mentioned Comments from the client.
Examples of professional Symbol logos
Lettermark logo
This should be designed with the initials of the company name IRE (uppercase or lowercase acceptable). Examples: IBM, BMW, CNN, NASA, and HBO. No other design elements should be added to the design except it is acceptable to have interesting shapes created by the interaction of the letters. It is preferred if the letters are manipulated to create an interesting design instead of using a font that already exists.
(Consider developing the wordmark logo simultaneously with the lettermark logo so that there are overarching similarities that would help build a stronger visual identity).
Examples of professional lettermark logos
Wordmark logo
This should have the full company name in uppercase or lowercase. Consider a font that is suitable for this company. Also, consider whether you can manipulate the font to make it more unique and suitable for the visual identity of this company. Ex: Disney FedEx, Subway, Coca-Cola. The design should consist of letters only and no additional design elements should be included. Please refer to the above-mentioned “Comments from the client”.
Examples of professional Wordmark logos
Combination logo
This should be a logo that combines two of the logos. Place two logos side by side without violating the clear space of either logo. Develop only one combination logo. Use the Symbol logo and one of the other logos to form the combination logo. Do not combine the wordmark logo and the lettermark logo to form the combination logo. (It would be more practical if you use the symbol logo and the wordmark logo to create the combination logo).
Examples of professional combination logos
Identifying the logos
As you may soon realize when doing research, there are many types of logos, and the same type of logo can be identified with different names. For example, a symbol logo could be identified as a brand mark logo. A wordmark logo could be identified as a letter logo, etc. However, for this project and throughout the semester use the above-mentioned terminology to identify the logo categories.
The appearance of the logos
All four logos should be well-defined with sufficient contrast, and they should be visually strong. Consider the fact that these logos will appear on stationery, packaging, trucks, billboards, uniforms, and many other places, large and small. Since they appear in various places that you cannot always anticipate. The specifications should be established and stated unambiguously to prevent any compromise due to external interferences such as graphic elements, images, text, and others in the background or proximity.
Specifications
After designing the logos establish the following 4 specifications
- Minimum Scale
- Clear Space
- Background Color (use white as the background color)
- Specify the color values used for the logo (maximum four colors including the background color)
Without the specifications, the project is not complete.
IMPORTANT: These logos and the specifications will be used throughout the semester. The specifications must be developed correctly to produce successful work in the upcoming projects.
1. Minimum Scale
The minimum scale is determined by how small the logos can be before it becomes unrecognizable. Specify the minimum scales for all the logos. Note: it is an advantage if the minimum scale can be lower so that the logos can be used in small spaces (note: there is no upper limit to the scale).
2. Clear Space
Clear space is the amount of space that should be kept clear around the logo. This is to prevent external elements from interfering with the perception of the logo. Establish a clear space by using a proportional method for each of the logos. To do this establish a reference spacer within the logo so that when the scale of the logo changes, the spacer will change as well, and thereby the clear space will change proportionately.
How to establish a clear space using a proportional method:
- Define the space around the logo (perimeter of the logo). Draw a rectangular or square outline tightly to mark the four sides of the logo.
- Decide how much space should be kept clear around the perimeter of the logo.
- Find an area of the logo that you can refer to easily to establish the spacer. Use that spacer to establish a clear space around the logo. For example, a letter of the wordmark logo can be used as a spacer to establish a clear space for the wordmark logo. Place that spacer outside the perimeter of the logo to establish the outer perimeter of the clear space. This would allow clear space to contract and expand proportionately as the scale of the logo changes. Likewise, select portions from other logos to establish their clear spaces.
When establishing the combination logo, maintain the established clear space of the logos. Do not bring the two logos too close to each other so that it would violate the clear space.
Illustrations/examples on how to establish the clear space for logos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRUvdRHREXk
Professional examples can be found on these two sites.
https://ucomm.miami.edu/_assets/pdf/tools-and-resources/UMiami_IDguide_March_2015.pdf
https://communications.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/RU_IDguide_011922.pdf
3. Background color is the color you specify for all the logos. In this instance, IRE wants white as the background color to be used for all the logos. Logos will always appear over this chosen color. This is to avoid any interference from various visual elements to preserve the perception of the logo and strengthen the visual identity. The acceptable background color must be specified. Logos should never be placed over photographs, other colors, or patterned or gradient backgrounds. Worth noting, in general, a white background would be very versatile. Use white as the background color.
4. Combination logo: For the Combination logo, specify the configuration of the two logos that you have selected to create the combination logo. For example, if the symbol logo and the wordmark logo are to be used as a combination logo, specify the distance and the positioning of the two logos in relation to each other. This spacing is to be maintained throughout. Also, note that the spacing between the two logos should not violate the clear space established for each of the logos.
Develop only one combination logo. Use the Symbol logo, and one of the other logos to form the combination logo. Do not combine the wordmark logo and the lettermark logo to form the combination logo. The symbol logo and the wordmark logo would be more practical.
Color Scheme
Pay close attention to the color scheme. Specify the four colors used in the logos (one would be white, for the background color). Specify them in CMYK and RGB color codes. If you are not familiar with color schemes and color theory it is worth doing some research. Do not oversaturate the colors but maintain strong contrast. Avoid using vibrating color
IMPORTANT
Once the logos are designed, they will be used without any changes to their appearance. There should be no variations except for scale changes (that is without reducing scale below the minimum scale specified). There should be no cropping, any form of distortion, or fading. They must always adhere to the specifications established. There will be no alternate color options. Therefore, when designing the logos consider how the logo design would appear in various situations. (This is true in the real world when you do professional work. The same is true for the work you will be doing during this semester).
If used as a black-and-white image (when photocopied or faxed), would it still be recognizable? You do not need to design a black-and-white logo, but it is worth checking whether the logo can be still recognized when photocopied.
Here are some past Student Examples This may help you understand the project better.
To do:
Based on the information you have about the company, use Illustrator to create four-vector-based logos. Save them as .eps files and provide the necessary specifications.
- Lettermark Logo
- Symbol Logo
- Wordmark Logo
- Combination logo
- Specifications for all the logos: 1) Clear space, 2) Background color, 3) Minimum scale, and 4) Color codes (CMYK and RGB)
Once the logos are designed save each logo with the clear space as .eps files. This will help use them conveniently without deteriorating the quality of the logos in future projects.
How to submit the work:
Save each logo with its clear space as a .eps file
Create a presentation document using Illustrator to present the four logos (link the .eps files to the document), and the specifications. Submit the document in the native file format (Illustrator). Once you create the document, save it and package it, and then zip the folder before you submit it.
Hint: You may find it convenient to create multiple layers in one Illustrator document to present various aspects of the project such as specifications
Also, include a PDF file of the Illustrator presentation document.
You can submit more than one idea for each logo category for critique. If you do, make sure to identify them by numbering them so others can refer to them easily when critiquing.
Note: Although some of you may brainstorm ideas by sketching with pencil and paper, however, when submitting them for critique, submit them as vector images drawn using Adobe Illustrator.
After the critique, submit only one set of designs to the assignment folder as your final logo designs with the necessary specifications in native file format.
Preliminary designs are due by the end of Friday. After submitting the works participate in the discussion and critique the works of others. Complete your critiques by Sunday. After receiving feedback you can improve the work and resubmit the work to the Assignment folder for grading. The final is due by Tuesday. The following links highlight the differences and explain the functionality.
http://www.nodinx.com/5-basic-types-of-logos/
https://inkbotdesign.com/successful-logo/
https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/06/12-essential-rules-to-follow-when-designing-a-logo/
Gestalt principles in design.
https://www.usertesting.com/blog/gestalt-principles/
http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu/sgrais/gestalt_principles.htm
Text-based logo designs.
https://blog.designcrowd.com/article/1219/40-text-logo-ideas-to-boost-branding
https://bashooka.com/inspiration/40-creative-lettermark-wordmark-logo-designs/
https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/types-of-logos/
http://www.instantshift.com/2009/06/19/125-creative-text-based-logo-designs-for-design-inspiration/
After the critique Submit the work to the Assignments one Zipped, Packaged Adobe Illustrator file which contains
- AI file containing all 4 logos on one artboard,
- font and links folders (Created when the file is Packaged)
- PDF of the file for viewing
- Research, roughs, design process
- Necessary specifications for the logos