Design Audit

Design Audit Ublo/Rohan Nicol

The design brief states that as the designer I will be required to create a corporate identity for the Industrial Designer, Rohan Nicol.

Included in the corporate identity which he requires is;

- logo
- logotype
- business card
- letterhead
- advertising brochure
- web page
- mock-up of a show booth

My thoughts at present in relation to the styling of the identity take Into account that the identity is intended to be sophisticated and stylish, and present thusly to a prospective client, and to the industry/market.

I intend on taking the unique styling of Rohan’s works into account; very curvaceous and simply (starkly even) coloured, and incorporating those elements into his identity so that his clientele may see a link between his products and his business.

In terms of the logo I intend on incorporating the curves once again, but also some sort of representation or metaphor for identical replication - due to the intended mass production of his works. I will present 3 alternate logos, 2 using ‘Rohan Nicol’ and 1 using the ‘Ublo’ synonym.

The business card and letterhead will use both the logo and logotype, and apply them in a simplistic, but eye-catching way. There will be a limited use of colours, as another linking attribute to Rohan’s work.

The advertising brochure and webpage will include the logo and logotype as well, also taking into account the design of the business card and letterhead. These will feature images of Rohan’s work(s).

The Web Page will consist of;

- Home Page
- Contact Page
- Portfolio Page

Finally, the booth mock-up will include the following;

- layout of objects within the booth
- examples of posters or prints that may be on display in the booth, and their layout
- business cards for collection
- a contact/about me sheet
- examples of his work available for purchase
- order forms
- a sign incorporating the logo/logotype

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Timetable

Research Time

3 Days

Logo/Logotype Design

1.5 Weeks

Identity Design

2.1 Weeks


Budget Quote

Research - 6 hrs
Logo Design - 8 hrs
Identity Design - 11hrs

Total 25hrs

*at $60.00 per hour

$1500.00

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I find that a lot of these identities will assist me in designer Rohan Nicol’s;

- Andrew Rogers Industrial Design

This will be the most helpful in regards to Rohan’s identity, for it is the most relatable. Andrew Rogers is an individual (like Rohan) rather than a corporation. It presents a clean and precise logo/logotype to his clientele, and the basic colouring doesn’t overwhelm the viewer and can will stand out quite well against others, being a darker colour and also if in the yellow pages, will translate quite appropriately to black and white.

- design edge, Invent Resources, Avantech

I find these 3 to be very similar in design overall, and very corporate. They present what appears as a larger corporation, a more powerful and bold statement which to me comes off as more of a construction logo than a designer logo. They are perhaps a little too bold, and with the exception of designedge I dislike the attempts at logos, as well as the colouring.

Their web pages are all very similar, and extremely basic; menu bar left-aligned, fonts rather similar. All pretty poor design overall. designedge’s web page is horribly set out, and jarring to look at.

- Bayly, HM IDE

I find these quite disgusting, and feel they present the wrong identity to the clientele. Bayly is very similar to the Ray Bans logo (which is a sunglasses company) and presents the wrong feel to the client. And HM IDE is just bad design overall, blocky and poorly laid out. The abbreviation I can understand, the companies name being rather long (HM Industrial Design Engineers) but surely they could have come up with something better.
Both web pages are simplistic but provide a user-friendly interface.

Other factors that may influence my design is my own personal interests in design, and the styles used by those sources;

- http://stadno.deviantart.com/

Friend of mine, his work is so consistently good that it makes me want to do better.

- Recently AGIdeas, which was great - heaps of great designers spoke about their practices and alot of what i took from there will most definately be influential on how i design this identity.

Also the general design, or anything visual really that i see around randomly that i look at and it just stick with me, some examples of these are;

- http://youtube.com/watch?v=8aLwVYmcBg8

Speed Racer the movie. Its uber-saturated, and all primary colours. But i think it realy works!

- http://www.parachutemusic.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f66LE6MW2w0

I saw this music festival being advertised in New Zealand in the Christmas holdiays and i checked it out when i got home and the entire advertising campaign (website included) really inspired me.

- www.magnation.com
Just an awesome website, which also has alot of great design examples within it (being a magazine webpage, and having alot of specialist magazines)

- http://www.tokyoplastic.com/
Awesome website. Great design overall, i appreciate the use of white space and the sterility of of the design in general - incredibly clean.

Jewellery Logos

The logos for Michael Hill and Magnani are similar in their target audience - the logos give off a very clean and sharp image - a classy image.

Whereas Kincaid Designs gives off a more homely sense - more traditional and handmade feel (which is in fact what they do). Also the choice of the circular design rather than the quadrilateral that the others go with - the square is more contained, and gives off a more resolved logo.

Jewellry Shop Identity

Myer competition..

David Jones is a higher market choice than Myer in my opinion, but i guess it closest to it in the market in some respects. Similar clients, similar prices and similar stock. Whereas David Jones is more of a metropolitan-based company - whereas Myer spans into the smalller centres (ala Wagga)



Target is lower market than Myer, more of a generalist store, and cheaper. More relatable to Big W rather than Myer. But they have more of an appeal to the general public than Myer due to their prices, although the service isnt as good at times... But then again all they're trying to do is sell you stuff at Myer.



Kmart is similar to Target in the sense that they appeal to a different client again, but Kmart is different to Target through its products. You will find more variety at Kmart and more of a product range.

Reading Response:

Logo Redesign

Logo/Logotype musings..

Square/Circle/Triangle

Bluebox Entertainment's logo plays on the basic geometry of a cube (squares =p). Its incredibly simplistic, but works nicely with the inclusion of its 'reflection' below the shape itself. It presents what i feel to be a very strong and solid image - sending a message of strength and reliability through the logo.

Microsofts 3rd generation gaming console the Xbox 360 uses a logo which is an example of good use of a circle. The name of the product directly links with the logo through the shape (sphere) used. In comparison to the logo for the previous console, the Xbox.

The original Xbox was a black console, whereas the 360 was white. This change was represented in the logo. But the main change was taking the already existing logo and wrapping it around a sphere, representing 360 degrees.

I felt that this was an effective solution to the issue - taking the logo that the consumers were already familiar with, and adapting it into the new one.

I dont agree with Def Leppard's use of the triangle in their logo, i dont fell that i works well with the imagery at all. It comes off as chaotic, and seems meaningless.

I think that of the 3 shapes the triangle would be the hardest to adapt to a logo. I think that it would have to represent something for it to work effectively within the image.

Reading Response:

A plumber would need an identity that clearly states why you should choose him over any other plumber.

Reliable, good work ethic and friendly would be a way to appeal to potential customers. The need to differentiate from the stereotypes is at fore in this particular case, everyone's heard a story about a dodgy tradesperson ,and you dont want to be suspect of that due to your companies appearance through their logo. A healthy advertising campaign would also assist, a quote like 'your local friendly plumber' will only do so much whereas 'reliable, efficient and friendly - plumbers inc' (etc) would send more of a message i feel.

But im terrible at slogans..

Difference between logo design/corporate identity/branding?

Logo Design is a part of corporate identity/branding - a tool used for the instant recognition of the brand or company (McDonald's 'golden arches').

Corporate Identity is the representation of the company's identity as a whole.

Branding is where your product is viewed as the only product that meets the consumer's needs for that particular niche of the market.

Circle circle circle...circle

Company Logos

Company Logos

PIXAR Animation Studios



I've always been a fan of the Pixar logo. It has intense feeling of... cleanliness, or sterility even. I have long had a soft spot for Pixar, since the Toy Story days really, and what i liked most about their logo was how they applied it to their films.

Stand-alone, the text is fine - they use only the text for the signage outside their studio, but the incorporation of the lamp is something that is (in my eyes) vital to the companies image. They strive to be the best at what they do, and this is shown through the quality of their logo.

If you went to a Pixar film and it opened with just a still frame which had PIXAR written there in comic sans, and you had to look at it for a good 10 seconds you'd think that it was a tad shit. Which in turn would affect how you view the film. So their attention to the logo is a sign of their professionalism - and including the lamp is also a nod to their first animation Luxo Jr. ( watch Luxo Jr)

Now after saying all that, i can understand why they have the 2 different versions - the one they use in film is always going to be seen as a the more recognisable one. But just the logotype by itself must be used for business cards, letterheads etc because if you shrank the lamp down to fit on a business card the logo as a whole would get awfully cramped damned fast.

Industrial Light and Magic

The logo on the left is their original logo, on the right is the current logo.

When comparing these 2 you can really see the progression that time has brought round to the logo. But at the same time you can also see that they have kept a similar idea throughout the various changes that have resulted in the current logo.

The idea of creating 'movie magic' is clearly displayed by the magician in the earlier logo, whereas in the current one it is far more subdued - with the lightbulb imagery playing off the creative and 'ideas' angle. Also the use of the full company name rather than its initials has a more resounding effect for me - purely because more people are less likely to confuse INDUSTRIAL LIGHT AND MAGIC with the possible magic show implied by ILM (when accompanied by the magician image).

Unlike PIXAR you dont see ILM displaying their logo at the beginning, or even at the end of their films. This is because unlike Pixar, they dont create the entire film - but they also let their work speak for itself. Rather than showing a dirty big logo and have people go 'theres gonna be some kick arse special effects in this!' and sit there trying to spot it all instead of watching the movie - ILM downplays its involvement and just pops their name in at the end - and people are left wondering what was real and what wasnt.

Shield related logos...

Shields give a logo a feeling of a certain standard, due to their use in past times. A higher standing in society.. Aesthetically they work well, a very clean and contained shape - makes it far easier to organise into a very clean, bold and respectable shape.

Heraldic Imagery

Well... I'm one of the lucky ones whose parents are interested enough in this stuff to actually have small copies of our family Coat of Arms up on the wall. (Chandler being my mother's maiden name)

"Facta Non Verba" - Deeds Not Words. (Kirkland Family Motto)

OF Scottish origins, the Kirklands were first found (recorded) in Cumberland, where they had been since ancient times - rumoured to have been there far before the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Variations on the name: Kirkland, Kirkeland, Kirtland

** I'm fairly happy with the coat of arms.. I was hoping for something a little more grand (rather than 3 stars) but at the same time i really like the simplicity of it. It makes for a striking image, which invites one to imagine what it means.

The alternate versions of it that i have found on various web sites are the same the only thing that varies is the colours, but the alternate versions keep to 2 colours, so there is at least that conformity.

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