Client

3E Form, a web development freelance studio

Role

Graphic Designer, Creative Lead

Project Brief

3E Form is rebranding and needs a new logo to move away from their dated look

Key Insight

3E Form’s current logo is not modern, it’s hard to read, it’s very square, and is not aging well; the new logo should be modern and should have more flow

Solution

Design a new logo that is modern and complies with fundamental design principles and processes

Specialties Used

Graphic design: Corporate identity and branding
Illustration: Vectorized digital illustration

Technologies Used

Adobe Illustrator (Adobe Creative Cloud)

Results

Process

My usual process for designing a logo starts with a rapid sketch / brainstorming exercise to generate spontaneous initial ideas. I then spend a short time developing concepts and exploring creative variations that help tell the story of the brand.

This early iteration is the best time to present design ideas to the team involved and gather feedback to select the top 1 to 3 ideas that will make it to the next design round.

In this case, I focus on using the “3”, “E”, and “F” components of the company name and think of a slanted, rounded type that is easy on the eye to communicate flow.

Once the top concepts are selected, a deeper dive into sketching takes place. While this can be done in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, doing this manually for a logo is often a more organic approach. This second sketch will be more technical; I identify the independent design units (or modules), plan the grid, adjust spacing, and address position challenges by relying on the principles of design.

A correct proportional grid and modules that make mathematical sense will result in proper two-dimensional composition. This is the most critical part of building the logo.

After the gridding exercise, the modules (or design units) that are the core elements of the logo are clearly identified. They are now ready to go digital, meaning I create them in Adobe Illustrator.

Now that the core modules are digital, I use them to essentially re-draw the logo digitally. At this time, I also correct any minor sizing or position issues and make final modifications to the thickness and spaces between modules to create tension and balance.

Speaking of brand guidelines, the modules identified provide a great tool to make decisions on minimum clear space around the logo. Clear space is what provides breathing room for the logo and prevents visual noise when it’s applied on a website or any sort of marketing material.

I also make the strategic decision to continue using the same yellow color, in order to maintain some consistency for users of 3E Form who are familiar with the former logo since this is a rebranding project.

However, when I look for or apply a color, I start by using a Pantone color palette to accurately associate the desired color with Pantone’s standardized color matching system.

For 3E Form, the approach is a high contrast on a smooth composition using a charcoal grey and yellow. A brand color palette guide including a gradient is prepared, along with a sample of inverted logo colors.

Additionally, a compound color palette is added for more color freedom in case options are needed for other applications with warmer and cooler colors that create visual appeal and balance in user interfaces or designs.

Solid black and white applications are always provided as a part of the balance and contrast study, for use when only black and white are available or a monochrome design is needed.

Supplementary guidelines are offered to provide direction in the use of the logo on different backgrounds.

Then, treatment of the tagline is addressed. Inclusion of the company slogan or tagline should not affect the logo in a negative way. This is another example of where the logo modules are handy and dynamic design elements.

The current 3E Form logos below (used from 2007 to 2011 and 2011 to 2016, respectively) are hard to read and have a very square, outdated look and feel.

In contrast, the newly designed version of the logo is modern, has been created following fundamental design principles, and communicates the idea of flow.