OUGD504 STUDIO BRIEF TWO: LOGO DEVELOPMENTS

Following on from my feedback and the following research I have undertaken, I produced a wide range of developed logo designs, experimenting with colour, background colour, underlining and positioning. I also experimented more with my hand written logos, as Tracey Emin showed me that LED type doesn't have to be a perfect typeface, but can be scrawled as well, and still look effective.

I experimented more with producing the logotype in two half colours, to show the two sides of Charlotte Shane's career. In the feedback session it was raised that with the normal typeface half being a serif, the two parts looked like two very separate parts, they didn't go together at all, so I tried different methods of making them flow a little bit better together. I experimented with using the same typeface for the whole logotype, only changing the effect on half. I think this definitely creates a much more seamless appearance, and makes the transition between the styles much more effortless. I experimented with a serif typeface and three cursive typefaces, to see which works the best. I don't think the LED effect works very well on the serif typeface, as due to the varying weight of it, it doesn't create a clean tubing shape, which LED lighting is. This makes it look a bit fuzzy and not very clean and poppy. I also experimented with the underlining, trying it with two commas in the middle, a circle, and having half in LED style with a circle, and half in normal style with a circle as well. I prefer the commas underlinings, as it has more relevance to the product itself, I could perhaps try this in the same style as the two dots with half LED and half regular, however I think it looks a little imbalances with the two dots next to one another and the LED one being quite a bit larger.

In my feedback session it was also raised that I should try my logo in black and white, to see how it will look printed in black and white. I think it looks quite effective with a black background, as the white lettering really pops out from the background. However the white background isn't that clear, as with the centre part of the lettering also having to be white because that's the nature of LED tube lighting, there are a lot of similarities in the colouring. I'm not sure how I can make this stand out more on a white background, except if I try having a black centre acting as a board similar to some of my research.

Following on from my LED research I tried the same previous design in a blue and green colour, as these seemed to be the most popular colour choices.  Again I experimented with different styles and combinations and underlining techniques, however the blue and green aren't as powerful as the pink, as the colours are too close to the white background, and you don;t really see dark blue and green LED lighting, they're normally bright or light colours. I did however experiment with the logo on two lines rather than one, to try and make it look more like a logo rather than just some type. I think the two style lettering works a lot better when it's not all on one line, as it doesn't look as broken up being in more of a round shape. i also tried it with the comma larger at the end of "laundry" to see how it looks, as I would like to include this in the logo, as I feel it is a good reference to the product itself, being a book. 

I also experimented with underlining styles in this new formation, to see how it looks, and I quite like it extending further to the left than the word "laundry" as it creates a much more dynamic appearance, however I am not sure it is relevant. I also tried using a comma in the same typeface as the rest of the logotype, to see if it would look as effective as the larger one, and this is a very minimal comma. I am unsure at the moment, further evaluation is needed to see if it has subtle impact or if you just don't notice it.

As well as developing the typeface designs, I also developed my hand drawn designs, uploading them into Photoshop and taking away the background, then changing the levels to make the black much darker and clearer, and the white whiter, so that when I then uploaded them to Illustrator it was much easier to create a black and white logo effect using the Image Trace tool. I did this process to several versions of each book title, to ensure I have the right combination of aspects to make the most effective logo, as the perfect combination may be the first part of one writing, the majority of the last section from another, and maybe a single letter from another.

In the same way as for the actual typefaces, I created the LED effect on my own handwriting designs. Again the pink stands out a lot more than the blue, even though I made the blue neon. I find that the regular hand writing looks a lot more elegant and feminine as the overall stroke weight is a lot smaller, and the variation in stroke weight is also a lot clearer, whereas with the LED effect, the lettering looks much more chunky. Again I am still unsure as to whether the two different styles fit together in one, perhaps I should try this is the same two line experiments as with the actual typefaces. I don't like half being coloured LED and half black and white LED, as the black and white half has no impact whatsoever.

I also tried this again with Nightmare Brunette, which I am really pleased with the outcome, as it works rather nicely in the two half styles and all in LED as well. This may be because of the closer kerning and the two parts just being closer together, or simply the aesthetics of the two words. I will experiment with this on two lines though, to keep continuity throughout the branding.

Producing The Cord needed more consideration, as with it being such a short title in comparison I had to think about which part was LED, as to match the other two designs it would be "The" which I have tried here, however I feel as though that puts the emphasis on that word, which is such a minor word, it should be "Cord" instead, as this is where all the description comes from. I experimented with this too, as it is hard to see which works best aesthetically. Also I have to experiment with the two line layout as well, to match with the other two designs, however I am not sure this would work on such as short title.

 These experiments have been vital to me to see what works and what doesn't, and also to get an idea of how all three logos will look together. I will continue experimenting, especially with the two line layout, and come to final designs produced on different collateral, to see how it will work on different outputs.