Site Prewiev ...

by Patrik Lövström

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As i mentioned in the last article - the beginning - I was working on a project for Tagate.com and that project is almost done. The site is in it´s beta stage as I am writing this article – the owner is testing the application. I´m not going to add any images of the entire page, what I am going to do is to talk about the logotype and font choice I did.
It is always challenging to get an order for a (new) logotype and font for a company/site, especially when there doesn’t exist any in the beginning and yes there exist rules one “needs” to follow. It’s a company’s identity. Their logo. Their “tramp-stamp” if you will. A distinctive and unique icon or symbol of a company/site, object publication, person, service or idea that best represents them and helps to convey its message to the customers in their market. You’d think this would be simple and easy to make/design a logo, but it aren’t. Making a memorable logo that hits the mark is damn-near impossible unless you own a mind reader or, in fact, lose your own mind.
Depending on how you approach it, your logo design will create a mood. It will most likely have a hint of whimsy or perhaps a more serious tone. But what if you’re demographic or client wants to be a little bit of both? There’s a serious danger heading off into one extreme over another when designing logos. This is the company tattoo and has a level of permanence. Sure, like the music of U2, a company will change its style by polishing the edges, adding a shadow, or giving it a new twist to stay on top of the times. But more often than not, the company will keep its image in order to stay connected to its long-standing customers and future customers. It’s the mood that will most likely never change. Does it make you smile? Does it make you cozy inside? Does it make you feel like they can be trusted? Or, does it do nothing for you? That being said: Research is the key.
Before I move on I want you to see the first image I made – yes, paper and a pen… true old school style. You should always start your work whit these two tools, it brings you closer to the actually work you are doing. When you log in to www.tagate.com you can see the word “web portal” in the header so I was circling around that word… in a literal sense my mind went: Tagate + Web + Portal… hmm, is that something I can work whit? So I started to sketch on something and this was the result. (See first image)

Tagate Web Portal…. So, the main focus was on the portal that was where I found most inspiration. Even if it sometimes can be tough to do these types of work, one often must think easy – the mind tend to complicate things, but ignore that and just go whit what you feel, usually this gives you the best results.
First, you should ask your client a bazillion questions. This will clear the air, and through them answering question number 1,342 you might get a bit of information that you didn’t even think to ask for that has become paramount in figuring out the plan of attack. It never hurts to ask a lot of questions. But it DOES hurt to hand over 15 logos and find out they hate all of them because it “just doesn’t feel right.”... I know!
Second, find out their taste. Ask them what logos they like and why? What is it about the arches that move them? Some clients will have a lot to say on this subject and will help direct you in creating an understanding of what they expect. Some won’t have a clue why they like it, they-just-do. That tells you something about the client right there. My guess is that if you look around, find some logos that have the same style, look, feel and direction that you were planning on heading in and present those logos to the client, you might be able to shave off some time and save some brain power for the other stuff. No need in reinventing the wheel here. Hold up a logo and ask, “What do you see? How do you feel?” – My inspiration (we all have these) came from Paramount Pictures. I had seen a move some time back that had a portal in the intro… you know, in the very beginning of every Paramount move you can see some mountains, in this motion picture they had a portal added and I think they mentioned “paramount classic”. If you have seen it you know what I am talking about.

Wait – stop, I just remembered that I had forgotten something, something that I call “Free Design”… it´s a concept. Free Design is every designers dream or so I think it is. It basically gives us designer´s free hands to do whatever we want and feel like, it literally say´s in big letters “DO WHAT EVER THE SHIT YOU WANT” as long as it is good… LOL! And that is true. Free Design and an awesome logotype that get´s accepted... WOW, that is an overwhelming feeling, especially when you are dedicated to your work.
So did I pool it of this time… yes, apparently because the initially sketch was accepted by the customer. I explained how I thought and showed him a prevue of the finished work – the sketch. After this, I just had to do a 3D model, render it and ad textile, lightning, shadow and “some” effects and we were pretty much done. So here are some results. There is now reason to ask me witch programs I am using because that is a secret – it doesn’t matter if you recognize them or not, I’m just not telling.
First image is the basic 3D model – the second is the rendered one – and the last is whit light effects.

 

The “exploding light effect” is actually Fredrik´s idea – yes, he does actually have great ideas but note the patience to do it, but that´s fine; it is after all me that needs that. 5 hour’s work is between the 3D model and the finished one, so all I had left was to choose the “right” font and composition – the layout, and this became my choice.

… and putting it all together:

Not bad right? ... Considering what he has now – but this is not the last choice for the site, I did some finale changes and adjustments and came up whit this banner/header:

"So there you have it – this is a genuine pfalanor work".

That logo you designed is great, but - so what?! If you’re lucky enough to have a great logo it won’t get you very far if it sits in your closet with the door shut. So, it’s imperative to ask your client what they plan to do with their logo. Are they going to use it primarily as a stamp on their business cards, letterhead and website? Or, are they going to take it to another level and brand it by placing it on the side of their building, car, and t-shirts? What if they’re a Snowboard company? Chances are they’ll want that logo on their spiffy new snowboard designs and maybe even stitched into their hats and gloves.

But this is a website so i could go by whit almost anything - i hope you enjoyed this article and my work.

 

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