The Brand Identity Process

September 22. 2009, under CREATIVE, NEWS with No Comments

Creating a brand identity [logo, color palette, font set, etc] for a project, service, business, council, organization, you-name-it! is what we live for as graphic designers. It is somewhat of the “holy grail” in the world of advertising agencies and design studios as it gives us the chance to turn our clients visions into tangible realities. Some clients come to us without any vision at all, others with a very clear idea of what they desire to epitomize their image. Either way, the process is just that > a process. There is never a clear-cut, “push the easy button”, straight line from point A to point Z. It is this challenge that makes the work so rewarding when a final product is chosen and the client has a piece of graphic art to call their own.
I have interested parties asking me all the time, “how much will a logo run me?” I wish it were as easy as “the Blue Light Special on Aisle 3″. It is this reason that I was inspired to share with you the creative “behind the scenes” of the Park County Search & Rescue logo process. Enjoy!

First, we met with the client and looked at logo ideas they had pulled together, and listened to what they envisioned for a Brand Identity that would represent who they are and what they do…

We started with a very quick sketch session to get some ideas flowing…

From there, we dove in and began logo development from sketches; choosing on this particular project to keep color out of it for the most part unless necessary…

It was decided to develop a few designs along the way as they liked all the directions and really felt they couldn’t make a proper decision for their organization without seeing each logo “rough” more defined, especially with regard to font selection. With a little feedback, we went back to the drawing board to flush out their vision for font & design.

We had all kinds of feedback along the way, every bit a crucial component for the end result.

Drumroll please…… We have a winner!!! The end result was something that we were all very happy with! This process was such a wonderful experience. Every player was a key component to the end design. Now on to business cards, letterhead, signs, t-shirts, vehicle decals & more!

Here are a few notes on the project from others involved.

Hi Mary, I dropped off that lettering sample to a printer to get a bid for having it printed, he is out of town until Monday, but I should hear from him after that. Also, I had the ad slick of your logo sitting on my desk here. My husband saw it, and said, “Who did this? It looks great! I really like it!”
This is a man who asks when I wear a new outfit, “What is that, a dress?” He once described a woman’s hair color as “plaid”. He wouldn’t even notice if there was a new chair, curtains or a gorilla in our living room. Soooo, I would say that is a pretty high compliment.
Lynn, Delta Signs

Hi Mary,
Finally! We have the OK to rock-n-roll with the Search & Rescue logos. At some point in the near future I’d like to chat about t-shirts, biz cards, letterhead, envelopes, etc. Thank you SOOOOO much for all your help and determination…and to your colleagues as well!!!!!! I’m very proud of the new design and new direction of our program and you were a huge part of that.
Deputy Gregg Todd
Park County Search & Rescue
Park County Sheriff’s Office