The Task: A New Logo

After 10 years in business, we decided it was time - time for a new logo!  After some feedback from Julia Sousa, Marketing guru at Attendease Vancouver, we decided to modernize the Essential Designs logo for current web and mobile standards. Julia recommended we get an update that reflects the modern app development and design that we work with on a daily basis. The old logo had some issues for web use, including transparency, and in general, was just starting to look outdated.

The old Essential Designs logo[/caption]We brainstormed some initial requirements for the new design, which included the following key needs:

• no transparency
• a standalone graphic icon plus text
• modern, clean design
• a reflection of our business persona (we are a software & app development company)

The next step was selecting an amazing graphic artist: one who is up on modern trends, able to work conceptually, take constructive feedback and run with it in different directions until we honed in on something appealing.  For this task, we chose Kenji Toyooka, an independent designer based in Toronto, Canada.  Kenji is an experienced freelance artist we have worked with very successfully in the past, and we were excited to embark on this new project with him. Kenji's strength in digital illustration and creative ability made him an ideal candidate for this task. Go to https://kenjitoyooka.com/ to learn more about the designer and his projects! Check out the evolution of our logo revision process:

The evolution of the Essential Designs logo[/caption]We started with several back-and-forth iterations of the logo, trying out different concepts for the icon portion until something caught our attention. The standard symbol for a database looks very much like an "E", mirroring the first letter of our business name. Being a data-driven app development company for web and mobile, as well as a data-driven custom software development company, we felt we were onto something! We build data-driven applications as our company focus, and data-heavy use is part of every application that we build. From here, we were really able to narrow in on the icon design, the colors, and of course the accompanying text. A good designer is able to take a concept and work to really develop various iterations, giving the end customer options. And did we get options!  Kenji did an amazing job considering and implementing our feedback every step of the way. He created a variety of looks and styles for us to choose from that really reflected our identity as an app development business.

The End Result

After really narrowing in on our brand identity with this logo design, we felt we could confidently call this project a wrap.  The new logo reflects everything we were after in an updated design: it's modern, clean, and the icon and font are a match for our company persona. It even has responsive design iterations which can be used as just the symbol, the text, or a combination for different resolutions. After updating our logo in each of its various locations (website, social media, business cards, email signature), we couldn't be happier with the end results.  Undertaking a logo redesign can seem like a daunting process, but at the end of the day it is a refreshing update that helps us take a close look at our company identity and future direction; giving us clarity moving forward for the years ahead.

The finished logo

Logo Design Tips

Based on our experiences, we have gleaned some wisdom on this process, and can recommend a few measures to help you achieve positive results in your own brand identity journey!

1. Picking a Designer - Choosing a graphic artist/illustrator who is experienced enough to know the appropriate size and formats for your logo is key. Additionally, your designer needs to be able to take your feedback and work with you to help create tangible results from the initial vision.
2. Giving Feedback - Giving valuable feedback to your artist is going to result in a positive process and finished product. Communicating in a positive manner is essential to keeping the process flowing, and to steer the project in the right direction.
3. Keeping an Open Mind - It can be easy to close your mind off to new ideas or the unfamiliar, however, it is best to try and 'reset' when you look at new ideas or iterations of your logo. A small piece of advice Kenji gave us that was hugely valuable was - look at one logo version at a time by placing a piece of paper on top of the others! Sounds simple, but it helps you to focus on and familiarize yourself with each unique design element.
4. Remembering your Identity - Getting creative can sometimes go off the rails - abstract can work, but some of the best logos reflect the business's identity. Remember who you are and what you are trying to reflect to your end customers.

By Mary MacPherson

Mary is a popular Vancouver DJ and has been working in the high tech field since her inception as a web developer at Newbridge Networks in 1996.