2. The following few pages highlight my design process for creating
the branding/identity for The Ohio Food Bloggers Collaborative. My
works starts with questions and answers that forces my client to
imagine their brand as a character, along with a collaborative pinterest
board that gives me a sense of what aesthetic they are looking for.
Below is a selective hightlight of the type of dialogue initially
exchanged:
The following few pages show the creation and evolution as part of
this dialogue.
Would you say that "OFBC” is more sleek and
modern, or is she rooted in tradition? Or is
she modern but fascinated with the past?
I think "modern but fascinated with the
past" is a good way of putting it. Somewhat
nostalgic, but wants to bring some of her
memories of the past into the present... like
updating her grandmother's old recipes
with new flavors or painting vintage
furniture.
What colors does she like? Does her wardrobe
consist of sleek black and white dresses, or
are they vibrant and colorful? Are there any
particular shades she likes?
Neutrals (grey, navy, black, white) and
softer, muted colors (paler shades of coral,
teal). Nothing too vibrant. Her wardrobe
would have primarily tailored, neutral
pieces that she accessorizes with more
slightly more colorful jewelry, scarves, etc.
Whats more important to her—precision
and geometry, or organic flow?
Organic flow, but just barely. Precision is
important to her, but geometry not as much.
Ch.One
Blush
4. Quiet a few of the images
that you put up on Pintrest had
this element of yearning, a certain
nostalgia for stable things in a world
that’s constantly changing. We see it
in the images of say a person writing
in a notebook, or someone running
her fingers through an endless field
of grass, beckoning a simpler world
that was ruled by fields rather than
concrete.
At the same time, however,
there is also an undercurrent of
modernism running beneath all of
this. For example, the image from
“little rusted laddle” depicts fruits
and vegetables on a wooden table; the
color and minimalistic composition of
it all (it has fade to it) is very modern,
whereas the wooden table and
texture hearken to the past. The old
runs with the new.
Similarly, there is also a very
interesting tension between wanting
chaos and disorder. The image of the
laptop with the notebook perfectly
describes this. Everything is confined
to a grid, but the analog contents in
the grid are a lot more organic: we
see handwriting and sketches, and
pens and notebooks.
01
The
Images
7. ...And from the visual style of these images, I created
a logo that is both old, yet new; constricted within lines,
yet completely flexible. It’s a study in paradox.
My initial inspiration for it came when I got a mail
from England. There was a circular stamp on the corner
of an otherwise rigid, grid like format.
I decided to extend that metaphor to the logo for two
primary reasons:
1 Letters take one into the past.
2 They symbolize geography, as does the
universal nature of the Ohio Food Bloggers.
Since the Ohio Food Bloggers are a collective of
people, each person brings their own individuality,
character and identity to the company. Each member is
driven by their own style. So I wanted to create a design
that acknowledged that diversity. Hence, the upper left
corner of the box is reserved for the blogger name (see
next page).
And for those times when the logo needs to stand
on it’s own, there are infinite possibilities to what the
logo could become. I have included two examples on the
previous page, one where the logo is a postage stamp,
another where the top left corner is covered with half-
tone bengay dots.
Because the only thing changing is the upper left
corner, the logo will always remain cohesive and easily
identifiable. It is a logo that is, like moods and emotions,
in constant flux, always the same.
8. Furthermore, becausue of its form, the logo can be
adapted into a variety of circumstances, such as badges,
to coasters to t-shirts and cups. The thick lines and
structured nature make it very legible at both small and
large sizes, and because of its adaptable nature, it can
work well with almost any color or phtoograph.
The typeface used in the designs is Futura by
Lintotype. It was was invented in 1927 by Paul Renner
who based the original sketches on pure geometric forms.
It came out of the constructivist and Bauhaus tradition
and quickly became known as one of the most elegant and
versatile form of the twentieth century.
You may have seen this typeface used quite a bit if
you have seen any of Wes Anderson Movies. He uses
Futura almost exclusively in everything from the graphics
in the movie to the title sequences. It is a timelessly
modern font that can adapt to almost any setting.
The reason I chose to employ it in the logo is because
it evokes a certain sense of history while still being ultra-
modern. The geometric forms work well with the grid-
like nature of the whole.
I chose the particular shade of pink in the background
because it is reminiscent of faded old newspapers that
were used in the early part of the twentieth century.
Although, this can be adjusted to whatever you want.
To sum up, the logo is clean, modern and old. Its
dynamic nature gives it a versatality that makes it very
adaptable at almost any size and color. The grid like
nature also makes it easy to shape it as need be on social
media (for profile pictures/cover images), while still
retaining its identiy. It’s simple and timeless.
9.
10. The Second Logo plays on the letter “O.” But like the
first one, what makes this logo interesting is it’s flexible
and adaptable nature.
The logo can be blended into images, i.e. any
photograph underneath the logo will blend into the
outlines, creating a very interesting mask and allowing
the logo to adapt to a wide variety of circumstances. You
can see this effect a lot more clearly, in the example used
on the next page, where one of the images from pinterest
is blended with the logo.
The outlined nature also creates a slightly quirky,
retro look reminiscent of designs from the 70s. The blank
space and use of primary colors also demands attention.
What makes it different from the first is that it’s not
as difficult to manage. All you have to do is place the logo
on whatever image you want and photoshop can do the
magic for you. It can keep on changing, but you don’t have
to be as involved in that change as is the case with the
first one.
14. Ch.Two
Rejections&
Acceptance
After viewing and thinking about the
previous ideas, Maria decided that the logos
and identity system presented wasn’t what she
was looking for, so I went back to the drawing
board and started sketching and refining the
drafts you see on the next page.
The first plays on the metaphor of food
and design, while the second and third
resemble a buckeye, which is native to Ohio.
Maria really liked the second and third,
but couldn’t tell what was missing. So she
decided to talk to the rest of the group to get
some ideas moving.
15.
16. So after a lengthy discussion over phone
and email, we discovered something vitally
important: that as cliche as it sounds, she
wanted the Ohio map in the logo.
After a few more sketches on paper, I
meandered onto a grocery store and saw a
turnip. Oh my, I thought. This resembles Ohio.
And right there and then, I drew a rough
sketch of the logo on my notebook. Once I
came home, I refined it in illustrator and sent
it to Maria.
She, and the other members, fell in love
with it. The rest is rust and stardust.
