Making Sense of gymshark
route two refined
We have taken what you saw previously and combined it with the silhouette visual you provided and developed it into a strong dynamic brand that is highly adaptable and instantly memorable mark that can work just as well in isolation as well as alongside typography. With strong diagonals and sharp edges this version feels much more dynamic while also successfully communicates the gymshark attitude. The brand works best in full colour but is just as recognisable in solid black or grey scale. While we would suggest a default brand colours we see the brand being very flexible so that when applied to clothing or other merchandise you have the ability to suitably adapt the logo. We’ve still included the ability to apply sub-brands such as ‘‘gymshark running” as you will see on the following pages, however we have tweaked how this currently appears.
original mark below.
GymShark
runnin g
Applying the Brand We have aimed to create a flexible brand that can be applied to merchandise in a number of different ways, above are just a few examples of how adaptable the brand is.
GymShark GymShark
Subbrands Subbrands are now styled using a handwritten typeface to create a more personalised look and feel. Think of it as gymshark just for your specific sport.
GymShark
developed & discarded approaches
1: Similar to the approach you’ve just seen, this version used rounded corners and an appropriate typeface to match. While the shape had a nice feel to it, the rounded corners didn’t quite communicate the right attitude.
2: As above but contained within a circle, while this created a very controlled brand it also restricted how much the brand could be played with when applying it to merchandise.
3: Still contained within the circle, this is where we moved to the sharper edges, however it still didn’t feel quite right until the button edge was converted into a point rather than a flat edge.
continue to route two
route four refined
Many iterations, tweaking and thinking were put into the evolution of this logo. These all resulted in the realisation that the most elegant and simple marks created the most powerful results. Fewer features created the most unforgettable mark. Evolving the original logo visual rather than revolutionising was therefore found to create the most effective result. More prominence has been given to the eye, whilst the fin has moved further back, closer to a shark silhouette. The logo is now more balanced, with the underline meeting the fin tip - at a shallower angle, for a more compact mark. The mark has inspired a sharks tooth shape to flow through brand collateral, resulting in a dynamic element to bring the brand to life.
Fin placed further back Eye given more prominence - size and further forward Line shortened, giving the logo better balance.
running
FLOWING PATTERN The logo shape inspires this sharks tooth triangle to flow throughout the brand. This brings a lot of energy and interest to collateral whilst allowing for a lot of creative interpretations in the future. The sharks teeth can interact with images to flow over, behind and through focus points.
ladies
MEN
THE LATEST GEAR
SEARCH
WOMEN
EQUIPMENT
CART
YOU’VE GOT THE BODY NOW GET THE LOOK FROM GYMSHARK
X Mouth shape is quite fish like and friendly.
X Add in ‘nose’ bend, for a more shark like appearance. Still too fish like due to large eye.
X Although the simplicity of this mouth is more in keeping with the strong, clear concept of the single line logo, the mouth is still too fish like. The fin and eyes are too close.
X Adding in more teeth brings more aggression, but starts to become a caricature - what we don’t want.
X Downward mouth = sad rather than aggressive and powerful.
X Very simplified mouth, fin further back and smaller eye. This is getting closer, the mouth complicates things whilst not bringing any benefits.
APPENDIX A number of iterations of the logo were tested such as adding a mouth and other shark like features. All of these were felt to lose the dynamic concept of one line creating a strong, powerful mark. In most iterations they also started to create a caricature of a shark losing any attitude that the simple line that the initial logo portrayed. Here are just a few examples of directions we explored
X Too complicated, loses the strength of a clean, simple line.
X Alternative fin - loses the dynamic edge of original logo.
X Eye too big - comedy effect.
X A different approach - opening out the shape and creating an outline. Results in a clumsy mark.
X Too much of a caricature.
X Going for a fin outline brings interesting angles and shapes, but once again results in the loss of power the original logo has.
Working through many iterations of the mark allowed us to understand that the most elegant, simple marks were a lot more dynamic and displayed far more strength and power. For this reason we concluded that some amends were needed to the original logo, but the overall look and feel should remain.
www.inspiradigital.co.uk
+44 (0)1271 344 265