My Process:

When starting this project, I did some very rough sketches on my iPad using the app Procreate, but I would say that my concepts were mostly flushed out when building on Adobe Illustrator. I try to use my Wacom tablet for parts of it, but I found the most comfort and success just using my trackpad. In terms of tools on Illustrator, aside from using the shape tools and curvature pen tool primarily, I tried to push myself out of my comfort zone and try experimenting with tools I am less familiar with, such as the live paint bucket tool, the width tool, and the path finder tools. They helped provide a level of detail that I feel adds to my project and helped streamline the process of building those assets.

 For my kids aged 8 to 12 logo, I wanted to keep things fun, colorful, and playful, but I wanted to steer away from a lot of the overtly boy-related or girl-related stereotypes I found in my research. My goal was to make more so of an activity and less of a product for young kids, hence the concept of a craft camp. I wanted to tie in the visual imagery of crafts without it being too much, so I decided to focus on markers, scissors, and bright colored tapes. At last second, I decided to make part of the name match the color of a marker, and I am happy with that small but coordinated detail I decided to add.

My logo for women aged 35 to 44 was somewhat of a struggle at first in terms of developing a concept, but it’s probably my favorite of all my designs for this project. I struggled to come up with a specific product that wasn’t too generic or overdone, but after discussing some concepts with my professor, I was especially excited about the idea of a subscription box, especially for working women. The income level for the women in this demographic ($100,000-$125,000) gave me the impression that these women are likely very busy and don’t have an abundance of time to try new products or treat themselves all that frequently, so I was excited about the idea of creating a subscription box specifically for busier women of higher incomes and marketing it as a way to obtain these items without having to sacrifice their time in getting them. While most logos I’ve found for women in this demographic are typically simpler, I wanted to lean more into an illustrative and visual side while also maintaining a level of maturity and “classiness“.

 My logo for men 65+ was somewhat of a struggle as well, but in ways opposite from my other men’s logo: I struggled with an idea, but when I settled on my idea, the design flowed with it. I didn’t love really any of the product concepts that I had initially come up with for men in this age range, so I decided to lean more towards an activity. Men in this age bracket are typically retirees and therefore have a lot of free time, so I decided to pander to the idea of having that free time and ability to explore hobbies, namely in the concept of a birdwatching group. Additionally, I was excited about the concept of making an insignia as opposed to a typical logo because insignias tend to have rather loose but specific standards, so I wanted to see what I could create with my art style within those expectations. Based on my research, a lot of logos for the age group have quite a bit of iconography, especially clubs and committees such as this, so I decided to include a bird and binoculars for the visual imagery, but I wanted to keep the tones simple yet coordinated as to not be overwhelming or “flashy”.

Takeaways:

Overall, I would say I’m proud of my designs. I gave each of them a fair amount of brainstorming and building, and they all feel as though they represent their specific demographics while also being representational of my art style. Truthfully. I wasn’t initially looking forward to this project because I haven’t had the best experience in the past with making logos. It’s a job not for the faint of heart, or people short on patience, but it’s also very rewarding to see your hard work used as someone’s everyday branding. This project reminded me of the fun that can come from establishing the look and feel of a brand.

It also made apparent the wide scope that is branding. Each demographic had different frequently used fonts, colors, and design elements, so being aware of your intended audience when establishing a brand is of the utmost importance.