Choosing out a typeface to be representative of my sub-brand is my first step of brand design, as having this already decided will make the process of logo design and more much easier. I struggled to choose between if I wanted to choose a serif or sans-serif font. Sans-serif fonts are what is traditionally used in books and gives a much more historical library feel, however sans serif fonts are more modern and may appeal more to a younger audience.
I found a variety of fonts that I found worked well with my sub brand, Open Books. I liked the slightly blocky look of Monda and felt that it might work well in a logo, however I wanted to opt for something more traditional to allow me to keep a consistent font in as many areas of the brand as possible. Therefore, I ultimately decided on Cabin as Open Books’ primary typeface.
I wanted to ensure I chose the right colours. Colour can subtly portray a range of messages, such as brand values, tone of voice, mood and much more. LibrariesNI’s current logo is pink and yellow which, in my opinion, is quite dated as they have used the same colour palette for over a decade. Therefore, I will stray away from this as although Open Books is a sub-brand, I want to have a modern playful feel rather than sticking to the guidelines of a dated existing brand.
As established, my values are encouraging, calm, personal, straightforward and welcoming. For my sub brand OpenBooks, I have decided to go with purple as by primary brand identity colour. My justification for choosing purple is perceived as sophisticated and elegant, aligning with the traditional feel of historical libraries. As this project involves a landing page and app, I want to choose secondary colours which will contrast well against each other on a digital interface.
I didn't finalise my colour scheme until after our week 7 critique, as I was very indecisive about what I wanted to go for, so the external feedback was exactly what I needed to come to a decision. I’m very pleased with my colour palette, and feel that it gives a strong aspect to my visual identity.
The heading ‘process’ really stands truthful, developing my logo was a very lengthy process:
I was torn on the angle at which I wanted to show the book- head on or lying flat. I created a rough concept for the ideas which I had at this point and knew that I needed to take a step back and sketch out of my ideas. Both of the below ideas captured what I had in mind, however I feel that a lack of sketching led me to overcomplicate and not fully think them through.
I originally preferred the first design with text above an open book, so I sketched it out and digitalised it in a number of ways trying to make it work. However, ultimately, I decided on the alternative option of showing a book face-on. I felt that this angle reflected the brands name much more- I want to really emphasise the open book. My first concepts of a logo using this approach os as follows:
