Brand Corporate Identity - Task 2

23.9.2024 - 03.1.2025 / Week 1- Week 13
Brand Corporate Identity / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Aliah Farhana Binti Mohd Fauzi / 0357957
Task 2 - Logo

LECTURES

Week 5 | Positioning

Four different styles of positioning:

1. Arm wrestling - To take on the market leader and beat them at their own game and it is possible if there is a well establish market category with no clear leader. However,  it takes lots of money and time. Think Coke and Pepsi.

2. Big fish, smaller pond - The focus is on a niche market within a larger market that is being undeserved, where there is a larger player who's not meeting a specific need. Plus-point is the audience has a frame of reference while the down-side is the market leader could match your offer.

3. Reframe the market - This style of brand positioning reframes an existing market in new terms. It makes the benefits highlighted by previous market leaders irrelevant, or frankly, boring. This works if the product/ service features innovation or if there is a change in market need/ expectation. 

4. Change the game - Reserved for when there is no market category for what you do. You are the first of your kind and you get to invent your market! Think market disruptors like Ubers or Xerox, and you'll know when you are successful in changing the game when people say things like "I'm uber-ing it"instead of booking a taxi/uber, or, I'm Xeroxing it, instead of photocopying it". The advantage to this strategy is you'll be the default market leader. The downside, without any major barriers (patents or copyrights) people may be able to copy and beat you before you have a chance to establish yourself. (Think Grab aka MyTeksi).

There are four essential elements of a best-in-class positioning statement: 

1. Target Customer: What is a concise summary of the attitudinal and demographic description of the target group of customers your brand is attempting to appeal to and attract?

2. Market Definition: What category is your brand competing in and in what context does your brand have relevance to your customers?

3. Brand Promise: What is the most compelling (emotional/rational) benefit to your target customers that your brand can own relative to your competition?

4. Reason to believe: What is the most compelling evidence that your brand delivers on its brand promise?


INSTRUCTIONS

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A) Logo Research & Analysis:

  • Collect 28 logos over 2 weeks, selecting the first two new logos you see each day.
  • For each logo, document:
    • Type (logotype, logo mark, etc.)
    • Style (descriptive, abstract, etc.)
    • Graphic elements used
    • Color scheme (warm, cool, primary, secondary)
    • Font choice and style
  • Present all logos in Google Slides and embed in your ePortfolio.

B) Logo Development:

  • Select a brand or occupation, then create 2 sheets of logo sketches weekly.
  • Start with mind maps to find key visuals and concepts. Sketch ideas, narrow down promising designs, and refine into concepts.
  • Digitize the final approved logo in black and white before choosing colors.
  • Document all progress in your ePortfolio, labelling each stage.

MINDMAP


In order to start the logo sketches, Miss Lilian asked us to do a mind map on the brand name as well as the business ideas. This mind map has helped to ease my problem during the process of making the logos. 




SKETCHES

PDF - sketches that have been made for ' RETROFLASH'

After gone through the grouping and personal feedback sessions with Miss along with my classmates, I've improved my sketches based on the comments I've received. Sketches process was not easy as we have to come up with a logo that can represent the branding itself. 

Besides that, watching my other classmates works somehow has given me plenty of ideas to improve on mine logo and some of their's logos also inspired me to do my best on creating a strong logo branding. 



DIGITISATION PROCESS







FINAL SUBMISSIONS

TASK 2A - RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS







TASK 2B - LOGO


Submissions must be consists:

    1) Logo in BW, reverse & colour
    2) Logo space rationalization & clearspace
    3) Logo with strapline
    4) Logo with rationale (brand ideals)
    5) Logo minimum size
    6) Brand primary & secondary colours
    7) Logo/brand typeface(s)
    8) Patterns derived from logo
    9) Logo animation (GIF)


Submission item 1 - 8 in PDF format



Logo animation (GIF)




FEEDBACKS

2A Able to identify the types of logo analysed. Analysis is accurate and concise fulfilling the requirements of the brief. Room for more critical analysis (opinion, success, etc.) of chosen logos. Could benefit from having titles to help make content easier to identify (although bullets do help as do establishing your criteria being studied on slide 2). Do credit your sources. 2B Border/frame present on final submission is not needed. For logo space rationalisation, despite utilising a measurable and comparable component for construction, the provided artwork does not illustrate this idea well. Consider utilising lines to indicate the different sizes in relevant to the chosen dimension (x) instead of reducing the point size due to placement restriction. Moreover, it is not entirely clear which is the ‘x’ component in the first place in relativity to other measured components. Logo in minimum size exposes a weakness of final outcome which is the negative space surrounding the dot component (bleeds unto other parts or brandmark). See that the second pattern derived from logo joins components better to avoid having a slight gap of negative space (thin hairline between brandmark) which disrupts the flow of pattern. Introduction of ‘star’ as blocking element in gif introduces a visual element not found in any components of the logo design. Perhaps, the ‘dot’ on brandmark should be in colour to create focus and interest. Not sure if blurring effect applied on wordmark works to the advantage of the brand logo both visually and conceptually.


REFLECTIONS

Reflecting on this project, I realize how much I learned from both observing existing logos and working on my own. By analyzing two logos a day, I noticed details that usually go unnoticed, like the subtle power of color schemes, whether warm or cool, and the way font choices impact brand identity. Encountering logos in their natural environments on signs, in ads, online helped me understand what makes certain logos memorable or why some fail to connect. I started seeing how simplicity or boldness in logos can shape a brand’s personality.

Working on my own logo sketches each week was an adventure in trial and error. At first, I generated a lot of ideas roughly, some refined and also relied on mind maps to explore themes and visuals that resonated with my brand choice. As I narrowed down my options, I started seeing what made certain designs stand out. Through this process, I learned how each tweak, like adjusting the shape or space of a design makes a difference in the overall impression. This exercise showed me the value of documenting every stage, as I could see the design’s evolution and better understand why certain elements work.

The digital refinement phase made me realise the importance of feedback and iteration. I learned to embrace feedback to strengthen my design. Moving from sketches to digital black-and-white versions helped me see the pure form of the logo without distraction. When I finally applied color, the logo came alive, and I could understand why the black-and-white phase is so essential. This project taught me that branding isn’t just about making something look good; it’s about crafting a visual language that speaks for the brand.

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