05.04.08 behind the scenes, design
Updated Schedule and Logo Concepts
First off, let me apologize for the lack up updates on our rebrand over the past couple weeks. Between Ad:Tech, and Web 2.0 Expo, it was pretty difficult to get everyone all on the same page and push forward at the pace we wanted. The worst of it is that things were more or less delayed by about 2 weeks. The good news is that we’re back on track and pushing forward at 100%.
Since the end of last week, Bill and I have been working on finalizing our schedule. We’ve got all the major and minor milestones laid out, due dates assigned, and responsibilities delegated. We’re double-checking to make sure everyone involved can commit to the schedule. However, it’ll likely change very little if at all. Here it is:
Looking for a logo
On Friday, I met with Bill and Chris Decatur to go over some initial concepts for our new logo. Chris is one of digital telepathy’s designers, and put together some initial concepts for our the meeting.
As we went over the concepts, there were two I gravitated towards and felt had real potential.
The Magnet
The magnet concept really played on the idea of us “pulling in” social content. I loved the concept here since this really illustrates the core of what we’re looking to do. Not only that, but using a magnet gives us some really strong direction for the rest of our creative, both visually and in terms of marketing copy.
The biggest thing I want to work on with this one is simplifying it. Logo design is often about taking a complex, or abstract concept and simplifying it visually. The trick is to do this without losing the ability to recognize the initial idea. Chris did a great job with this so far, but we just need to push it a bit further.
The other concern that I had was making sure we didn’t venture too close to Unison’s logo. Especially considering the guys over at Panic love to call out people who can’t seem to come up with their own ideas. I don’t think we have anything to worry about though. To be honest, Bill and Chris didn’t even know what Unison was until I took them to the website.
“The Squiggle”
I wasn’t really called “The Squiggle”. I just needed something short to use for a heading. Just to be clear, this is the concept exploration done in the bottom right of the first page.
What I liked about this direction was the simplicty. I love simplicity, I really do. I felt this mark was elegant, yet bold. What it was lacking was a strong story. It needed a reason other than just being simple for the sake of being simple. The whole “let’s combine the initials of the company” thing is straightforward and common. (Yes, I do know what you’re thinking right now. No, I’m not saying its wrong. Let’s just move on…) However, the act of bringing together, or combining, the “P” and “S” does actually tie in with what we do quite well. I want to see if we can push that angle more with this one and make it a little more apparent.
What do you think?
I put some of my initial feedback out there for a couple reasons. First of all, I think that by hearing my own feedback, it’ll give you some insight into our thought processes around these concepts, and allow you to understand them more than you would if you were to just see them on your screen. I can’t repeat everything we discussed (not that there were any secrets, I just don’t have the time), but hopefully I’ve hit the important points.
Secondly, I want to get the conversation started. We want to hear what you think about the direction we’re going. I think its rare to see these early stages of the design process exposed in this way, but I’d rather hear your opinions now. A couple months from now (or maybe even a couple weeks from now), we’ll be too far along to easily react and adapt to feedback, suggestions, etc. Good or bad, bring it!
