Logo Design:
Logo design isn't just about the end product - although you definitely need the end result to be a shorthand representation of your brand.
It's about the strategy and the rationale that led to the design, and the end result.
Below are some of the logos I've revised or created.
Dawn 4 FITness
Starting a brand new company, Dawn 4 Fitness needed a logo from scratch.
With many classes in water aerobics, the idea of water needed to be incorporated into the look.
Since her name is Dawn, the basic idea of dawn over water seemed a good match. After a couple of iterations, this graphic was decided upon.
We created many versions for her to use for a variety of purposes, in 4C and greyscale.
JT Shelton Locksmith
Beginning his "retirement company," John needed a logo to help promote the business - because he certainly isn't one to slow down, even when retired.
He wanted his logo to show that he has the know-how to replace locks in houses, and that he can be trusted to do the work for the best price. His purpose in creating the company is to allow himself another venue to witness about Christ, while he works - so there definitely needed to be a Christian touch.
With his favorite colors of Red White, and Blue, we were in business!
Integrated Health Therapies
As a company that provides more than just massages - one that prides itself on providing therapies that help build overall well-being, this client had no previous logo, but wanted something that focused on health benefits. I used a caduseus as the inspiration, but replaced the wings with hands, to make it clear that health and massage were the key elements.
Oostburg Area Chamber of Commerce
Oostburg Area Chamber of Commerce needed a logo that wasn't so terribly busy - but we wanted to keep some of the elements of the old logo. We selected a serifed font for "Oostburg" and the tagline, but a sans-serif font for "Area Chamber of Commerce" so that it would read crisply.
Colors of red, blue, and black on a white background were maintained - to give a patriotic feel. The waves at the bottom representing the Lake Michigan shore were maintained, but converted to red and blue. The swirl which was intended to look like the @ sign - to give the impression that the town is online and technologically advanced. This made sense in the years it was developed, when most places were not online. I converted this to what gives the appearance of embracing arms - as the town wants to appear inclusive and welcoming.
The tagline of "Building a Community Together" came across as blah and unmoving. The key point they want people to know is that the chamber is the key support for all those living in the area - whether business or private.
The revised logo was unanimously approved by the board and applied immediately to all communication pieces.
Pine Haven Christian Communities
Pine Haven Christian Communities' logo, when I started, had some really great elements. It also had some significant flaws.
The symbolism was on target: The green triangle representing a pine tree helps recall the name while also representing the Christian trinity. The heart with the cross in the middle of it representing that Christ is at the heart of all they do, also invokes feelings of caring.
The problems with the logo were with coloring, unnecessary details, and lack of clarity:
The green and red are too close in brightness - when converting to greyscale, there is not enough difference for the logo to read cleanly. The green appeared faded and the red looked too purple. I darkened the green to a more traditional pine shade, and gave the red a tone that felt more akin to the heart.
The designer of the previous logo tried to create a 3-D graphic look by adding swooshes at the top. This effect works when the logo is quite large. But the sizes at which logos are normally used, these elements clutter the design and distract from both the heart and the cross shape. I eliminated them and went with a flat color look, making the design read cleanly.
The largest problem with the logo, however, was that it failed to explain what the organization did - provide a full continuum of senior care living options. Anyone new to the area would have no idea they were senior care. Using the word "quality" in the tagline falls under the adage that if you have to say that you're quality, you probably aren't, and "caring," in theory, should be assumed with the fact that "Christian" is right in the name - which made it unnecessary to repeat in the tagline.
The most important idea was to make it clear that they offered senior care. Yet targets who are moving in don't appreciate the term "senior" or "aging" or "elderly." The phrase "as you age" can apply to anyone, and was selected. The point of differentiation for Pine Haven that everyone agreed on was that the staff cared for residents with the hearts of servants, caring for them as Christ would. Thus "servant hearts, caring hands" was selected - which paints the organization as a place that provides care/assistance, humbly and kindly. Finally, we wanted to ensure that people did not view Pine Haven as an old folks' home - a place to go to die. We needed to portray that those living there, truly were living their best lives. "Inspired living" described that, while also making it clear that Pine Haven was a place of residences.
In 2018, leadership began to add independent living to their continuum. With this addition, the idea of providing care needed to be de-emphasized. The tagline was shortened to Christ-led care for inspired senior living, with the idea that once independent living became more prominent in the service line, it would be changed again to something like "Christ-led retirement living" or "Retire inspired".
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