I do contract work for a publishing company who sends me books to work on. In this work situation, I do not get to communicate directly with the authors. The publishing company has Author Relation Managers (called ARMs) that communicate back and forth with the authors. As a designer, I receive notes and recordings of the information communicated, then design the book. I send the proofs back to the ARMs and they in turn show them to the authors and discuss changes and adjustments needed and feed that info back to me.
I say all this, because every once in a while, I get a book from an author that needs design work outside the direct design of the book itself. Sometimes it is a promotional banner or other promotional piece for the book or graphic pieces to be used inside the interior. The publishing company does not deal with those things directly. So in those circumstances, they will allow communication between the author and designer directly to deal with those. It keeps the publishing company focused on the design and production of the book and it gives me, the designer, extra work.
In this particular case, the author had 3 charts he used regularly in his presentations that he wanted to be put in the book interior. The charts were normal grid charts that were tools he had his clients use to guide them on where the author wanted them to accomplish. He did not want the plain-looking, but useful, charts in the book. He wanted to “dress” them up. You can see them here.
When he saw the charts, he wanted to discuss with me about whether I could do something about his current logo. He was not happy with it and it really did not communicate accurately what his business is all about. Here it is…
Here is what I observe on this. First, and obviously, it has the business name. There is a minimalist simplicity about it, meaning the observer is not overwhelmed when looking at it. Logos should always be simple but communicate clearly. But after that is where the original logo does not do what the author needs it to do. Even with the business name there, there still are questions about exactly what his business does. Second, the three icons, though simple and self-explanatory on there own, continue to promote those questions. If unknowing prospects have not been through the presentation or other material from the author, they will not see the connection between the business name and the icons. The icons are very important in the message the author has, but really do not serve a good purpose in the logo. Third, the monochromatic look also does not promote the message of the author or his business. Fourth, the font choice of the business name does not match also that message. And finally, fifth, even though there are labels for the icons, there is not tag line to help the prospect further grasp what the business is all about. With that said, not every logo needs a tag line, but there are times when even the most identifiable logo needs a tag line to help push the message further.
After discussions and presenting a few ideas, here is what we ended up with…
First, we still have the business name. The font has been updated to a modern, futuristic look which lends to the type of business this is. The font being slanted show movement and progress which illuminates more of the message of what the business is about. The two-tone blue is also key. Blue is the color of trust and also of technology. Having two shades adds dimension to the logo but also shows adaptability. It is simple and the font adds a level of imagery without having a graphic in the logo. Stacking the two words vertically takes a long business title and makes it more versatile. And, if needed, I created two versions with a tagline…
To see the whole set, go here. The set allows the author to use his new logo and its likeness with a brand-forward intention in everything he does.