Monday 7 January 2013

Logo Design Research - Mood Boards & Inspirational Designs

The Logo is the most important thing when it comes to identity design; it brings it's own connotation to the brand it's representing, so I'm going to take special care when it comes to designing one for Jonny Pain.
Mood Board

Right now I'm just starting out by looking for inspirational logos, and have produced a mood board below of both music band logos and non-music logos. I'm going to take some of these logos and talk about them a little bit more on how and why they are so inspirational.


Resources: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/80-creative-and-well-designed-logos/ http://logopond.com/gallery/?month=&year=&filter=&page=1  http://abduzeedo.com/best-band-logos http://creativefan.com/band-logos/ http://www.tooft.com/10-rockmetal-bands-logos/ http://www.thewizdesign.com/wordpress/2009/06/30-awesome-and-influential-band-logos/ http://www.denzomag.com/2012/09/60-awesome-logo-designs/ http://logomentor.com/foo-fighters-logo http://picture.fm/pic/289071/ http://www.behance.net/gallery/ABACABB-Christian-Metal-Band/699541 http://www.behance.net/gallery/Logos-Marks/4600141 http://www.behance.net/gallery/Logos/6454415 http://www.behance.net/gallery/letters-letters-letters/6106875 http://www.behance.net/gallery/PIGS-WINGS/5816403 http://studioonesixteen.com/blog/2012/12/31/the-project-bitch-by-the-rolling-stones http://hanberlin.tumblr.com/post/39631728726/day-2-1-3-13-i-got-my-creative-workshop-book-of http://riffinc.tumblr.com/post/39617962608/the-final-logo-for-aerie http://itscrisp.tumblr.com/post/39481450285/knight-riders-branding-process http://port.itsjtam.com/post/39423085114  http://dribbble.com/shots/859560-Webcat

Inspirational Designs

I have an idea of where I want to go for the logo design; I want it to have a hint of a gothic-rock vibe, have a minimalist design, and also something that could be repeated across all of the album covers, business cards etc. When I talked with Jonny Pain about the logo design they said they would like it to be only consisting of "JP" and perhaps a design around it, so it looks like doing a logo like Iron Maiden's is out of the question!
So I chose the designs from the mood board above that fit in these categories that I'm aiming for as inspirational means.

http://dribbble.com/shots/91062-The-Podios
I have a thing for logos that are placed into circles, so it's not a surprise that I picked this one first out of all of the ones on my mood board. There's something about the circle that makes the logo clean and concise - this might be due to the circle acting as a barrier to keep all of the important elements secure and in place.
If it had not been for the scratches all over the circle as well as onto the type and the icon, then this wouldn't have looked as interesting. The texture, in my opinion, creates an interesting feature and gives the logo a bit of "oomph". 
The type they've use is very eye-catching. It reminds me a bit of Futura bit fatter and more decorative (although subtly done). The other features that I found interesting were: the vertical axis (this is revealed by the "O"s); the spine on the "S" is very rigid with sharp, perpendicular edges; and the "P" hasn't got an Eye like it should have. The lack of serifs make the typeface appear softer despite the sharp corners of the spine in the "S".
I like how the distressed texture covers the type as well as the icon because it makes them both appear slightly faded instead of just floating atop of the circle. It makes the logo seem more real. This distressed effect is also carried onto the thin, circular border - love it!

Conclusion: I really like how the distressed texture is used in this logo, and the type they had used is very interesting and modern.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/letters-letters-letters/6106875
(I know they said that they only want it to be JP but... yeah).
The typography is just so beautiful that it's hard for me to decide on what to analyse first... So I'll just dive right into it.
Firstly, I just love the swashes and tails coming off the D, K and Ss. K's tail creates a type of path that the rest of the letters follow, like a decorative line as such. The tails from the Ss creates the bordering edge of the type as does the swashes from the D, and they all bring the type together in an unusual structure.
The type just screams the word "gothic" by it's very pointy and sharp serifs which reminds me of the tip of metal gates in Victorian architecture - they were very influenced by gothic architecture in those days - as well as bringing up connotations of vampires and demons despite having no hint of blood or horror elements.
The grey that borders each letter really emphasises the decorative features as well as the whole word itself.

Conclusion: The type is just simply breathtaking! The typographer certainly has skill when it comes to designing type, and the way they had done it really portrays the word "Darkness".


http://www.behance.net/gallery/Logos/6454415
There is so much detail in this logo that I can just imagine the artist pouring over it for hours on end just to complete it. The thin lines in the petal-shapes just outside of the circle reminds me of those found in pictures of illusion, as they are very hypnotising and it looks as if they're moving somehow (it does to me anyway). This effect is repeated in the other two circles.
The A&L aren't, however, included in this hypnotising effect. In fact they are placed at the heart of these illusions, and the lack of pattern within their design makes them look bold and emphasises their importance in the design overall as they stand out. To help them even further the designer has included thick black lines around them to create a 3D effect as well as a shadow.
The type itself - of the A & L - reminds me of celtic writing because of their decorative features; the A crossbar is halved and curved downwards, and the L is very curly with a beautiful stem.
The other typeface doesn't stand out as much because it looks as if it has the same lined texture as the background, but the drop shadow does bring it out a little bit so that they aren't totally unreadable.

Conclusion: I love the contrast between a heavily lined decoration and a plain, minimalist line shown in the A & L typeface.

http://logomentor.com/foo-fighters-logo
Compared to the first logo I had analysed, the logo for the Foo Fighters hasn't any texture to it. This doesn't mean that it's any less bold or dramatic, however, because the thick outline of the double Fs brings them off the page as well as the deep red background. Yes, it is the contrasting colours that makes the design bold and eye-catching and not the texture.
I must say that the type reminds me of that of Lobster Two because of their elegant and smooth appearance. If it hadn't been for the weight of the strokes then I would've classed it as feminine and girly, but instead it reminds me of racing cars... No idea why though. Hmm. Might be because of the colours they've used and the thick circular lines - it reminds me of a logo printed on a car wheel or something. I'm not too sure.

Conclusion: I love the way they had positioned each letter so that they appear to be one in front of the other - at first I thought they were joined because of their close arrangement but the while outline shows that each letter is separate.


Overall Conclusion: Even before analysing each of the designs above I have already begun gathering ideas and jotting down sketches, but now I will be able to develop these sketches even further so that I could make a successful logo. 

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