July 19, 2006
Case Study: VelocIT Logo
Filed Under Case Studies, Logos |
The idea is formed. The business plan is written. The client list looks good. You’ve got great business partners. It’s time to open shop!
Every business owner knows they need a logo, but not many realize the importance of a great logo. It’s all about presentation, and an expertly designed logo is part of that great first impression every business person wants to make to the next potential client.
The logo for VelocIT was a designer’s dream project. CEO Micah Dylan speaks the language of design and understands the importance of identity. He also had a vision, and being fluent in the language of art and design helped him communicate it.
Micah’s vision for the logo: something iconic, like a copyright mark, with the letter “V” as the main element. I started with pages of sketches, exploring Micah’s vision from several points of view and offering my own take:
Several sketches stood out to Micah, so I took those to the computer. I started the mockup phase, playing with the mark, type treatment and color:
Type treatment was a crucial element. The company name reads “Velocity” but is spelled VelocIT. We needed a way to represent this visually, and the vertical “pipe” would do the trick. Not only did it help to sound the name, it is also a familiar visual tool in many website navigations (VelocIT is a business software solution company).
The direction of the mark was good, but far from Micah’s vision. I explored variations. I moved to a few 3D ideas, and on a whim decided to play with negative space. This whim proved to be a great turning point:
We knew we were onto something with the negative space. I took the idea and ran, moving to several more variations. At this point we showed the logo to his business partners and made revisions based on some of the feedback we received:
Notice at this point that we nearly had the final mark. I took the ideas one step further, to see what else I could come up with, and Micah even broke out Adobe Illustrator and worked on a few ideas himself (talk about client collaboration!).
My revisions:
Micah’s revisions:
And here it was, the near finished mark. We were excited because a clear choice was not evident… Micah liked them all! Now the hard part was making the final choice between three versions:
I always develop logos mostly in black and white, saving color for the final step. Once we finished with the logo, we moved to the identity to explore what color would complement the logo. We fiished the business card design and chose a version that used a cyan logo, the company favorite. Not only does the color translate great to print, it has a freshness that few colors can achieve. This method of picking a color for the logo was a bit different, but worked in the end.
And there we have it! Happy client, happy designer!
Comments
Leave a Reply
A little about me
Jon Hebert works as a web & graphic artist, and plays as a musician and artist in Mandeville, LA. Read more...
-
