Part 5 Layout Exercise: The French Hen
Key Words: - Young - Sophisticated - Relaxed - Respectable
The audience is young and sophisticated men and women who are not wanting to go to the cheaper places on the street that encourage binge drinking but are more aware of what they are drinking and are perhaps viewed as more of a discerning drinker. Although I cannot gain much about the company itself from the brief, it is important to look at
corporate values.
Respect, Responsibility (both as an alcohol vendor and as a drinker) and Accountability. These corporate values will help to judge the success of the logo alongside the brief as it isn’t just about the brief but the brand identity that is being created. “How a brand is perceived affects its success, regardless of whether it’s a start-up, a non-profit, or a product.” Wheller, A. (2012) Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team. (4) John Wiley and Sons, p.2. The French Hen is primarily a business, a bar, but it needs to create a brand that is easy to recognise and it gives the business meaning to members of its audience. As a logo it should have 3 main functions; navigation, reassurance and engagement. A brand’s identity isn’t just built from a logo, there are many components but for the purpose of this exercise, this selection is reduced down so that I am able to focus on the early stages of establishing a brand identity WITH A FOCUS ON LAYOUT AND THE EFFECTS THAT LAYOUT HAS ON THE LOGO DESIGN AND HOW THIS WOULD BE PORTRAYED TO THE AUDIENCE.
What does a logo design need to establish within a professional context? Historically how would this logo have been displayed? Has this changed? - Within a professional context, this needs to portray a sense of responsibility as an alcohol vendor first and foremost. - In terms of style of logos, a pictorial mark or abstract/symbolic mark will not be effective. This logo will not function or have the same exposure as something like the Apple logo. Therefore, in order for this to prove successful, wordmarks will be required. Building up a local recognition for the establishment will require a visual identity that is easy to remember and immediately recognisable. - As just mentioned, some companies are known for their logo before the actual name, this shows a shift in the types of reader we are becoming and this logo needs to facilitate both of these eventualities. - Logos are now featuring across both paper and digital platforms. This has always had potential since the emergence of the Internet but food apps are growing in popularity. Because of this, impressions of how good the food is, is based on the logo. This would take the logo out of the context of its buildings surroundings and place it within new contexts. But this goes beyond the expectations of the brief as at the moment alcohol has only been mentioned, not food.
What kind of pub is this?
- Local pub serving mainly pints and spirits. - Anyone and everyone drinks here. - Large branch of pubs so can be found anywhere. - Cheap alcohol for any kind of drinker, does encourage the binge style of drinking in some ways.
What does the logo indicate about this?
- The two different styles of logo show how it is appealing to both ends of the spectrum in terms of age. - Although ornate, the second logo doesn’t suggest a high class establishment, what reduces this? - Blue suggests trustworthy, you can always rely on wetherspoons to be there when you can’t find anywhere else to eat or drink. - The first logo suggests it is quick and easy to be served here and this works well as this is the apps logo meaning it is easy to use and not much effort to get served (literally order to table without having to move).
What does the logo suggest about this pub?
- Typical british pub, good beer and family food. - All ages welcome but suggests it is more of a pub than bar. - Old style writing and advertising suggests it can be trusted like Wetherspoons. - Black is used which doesn’t always have good connotations, why use this so dominantly on advertising?
What does the logo suggests about this pub?
- It is a twist on the traditional british pub signs but still features the traditional illustration (instead of just typography). - The circle seems to be used more having just noticed it - what does a circle suggest? Inviting? Well-rounded? - Again black is being used as a dominant colour. Why? Why use black when it suggests something about being anti-social? - Most of these signs also use capitals, no lower case lettering. This gives a sense of authority but the harsh lines on here, although create contrast to the round form of the logo, could work better with some extra softness to the lettering.
What similarities and differences are there between the two styles of alcohol vendor?
SIMILARITIES - Circles are used in both. - Capitalised letters seem to be a more dominant choice between them. - The main colour choice is also black. As mentioned before, why pick this when it is a very unsociable colour? DIFFERENCES - The more sophisticated logos use just black and white, the pubs use more colours which may suggest something about being a suitable place for families and children as well. - The quantity of text and line length. The more sophisticated vendor uses minimalistic text whereas, the line length of Wetherspoons is quite long. There is also the additional, unnecessary text for The Armoury to try and entice people.
Differences between these logos and the last?
- Most of them have black writing - suggests sophistication within this context. It is less about being trustworthy here and more about the experience. - Circle is still emphasised whether this be as a separate form or within the lettering itself. - The fonts vary between script/decorative fonts and Sans Serif fonts. The Sans Serif works but these often seem less inviting so how does this work? Is it the combination with the circular form? Is it the blank space that also features? Spacing between letters? - Some feature more ornate details (Victors and the Botanist especially). This has often been used to connect it with a more classy establishment but it is clear from the other logos that it doesn’t have to be ornate to be considered for the more acquired drinker. Are these logos appealing for the same target audience that I am designing for? Yes. Why? They seem a little more considered and go against the stereotype of designs for British pubs. Although there are some similarities, in fact quite a few in terms of structure, they manage to appeal to the more sophisticated drinker. The simplicity of the designs helps with this and avoiding the illustrations that are often evident on pub logos. These illustrations are kept minimal if they appear at all, often just featuring varying geometric structures
Testing out research points:
these
In order to test them out, I thought it best to alter the name on each of the logos so that they could be deconstructed and understood better for me as a designer. As the wording has changed for the designs, it makes it a little easier to see what has potential. A combination of typography would be beneficial, separating ‘the’ and ‘french hen’ provides interest without having to create something too ornate or bold, it achieves the right balance. The use of a circle would be interesting but got to remember that this is used across many different styles of logo so I need to make sure that it is used correctly within my own design to target the right audience.
Using the concept from the ‘Seeing the Light’ Exercise in part 3 to formulate different responses using the same three components. This lets me explore the components in a bit more depth by using the same font throughout each design.
These experiments do not work as a logo, how come? What are the visual communication points of a logo or symbol?
As previously outlined, in branding, a logo needs to help navigate, reassure and engage an audience. Symbolism is often used to make it easier to identify the brand and there is no component within the right hand piece that can become a symbol. The left option has the potential for a symbolic branding identity however, it still isn’t quite achieved. “Symbols are vessels for meaning. They become more powerful with frequent use and when people understand what they stand for. They are the fatest communication known to man. Meaning is rarely immediate and evolves over time.”
REFERENCE
Wheeler outlines that there are various different types of ‘marks’ that can be utilised on a logo. - Wordmarks - Letterforms -Emblems -Pictorial marks -Abstract/symbolic marks The first three would work effectively with ‘The French Hen’ branding. The brief needs to establish a new identity and therefore, using a pictorial mark, for example just the hen, will not provide any solid sense of identity. As Wheeler stated above, meaning evolves over time and this branding hasn’t yet had the timing required in order to shift the logo to just using abstract or symbolic markings. At the moment, the focus of this logo is to build up an identity that can be recognised and established locally. This can expand further out as required but in order for it to be successful locally, its primary aim is to create something that is easy to remember and immediately recognisable, something that distinguishes itself from the rest. Although symbols can’t be used singularly for this example, it is still important to have them feature within the logo as they are processed a lot quicker than words by our brains. The words at this point are here to aid the symbols and this is why a lot of the previous examples (during the experimentation similar to the lightbulb exercise) fail to function successfully. The words became the main priority within the designs instead of the illustration and this often caused an imbalance of components. For this reason, it may be best to continue to develop some of the original designs that originated from the hand sketches.
What were the key words and pointers I obtained from my research? What needs to be developed to answer the brief? Key Words: - Young - Sophisticated - Relaxed - Respectable
Does this target the younger audience? Currently unsure. Is this a sophisticated design? It is definitely sophisticated but the balance isn’t yet quite right, the interaction between layers hasn’t yet been mastered. Is this a relaxed design? No, it suggests something more upper-class that may scare away some of the public away for thinking that this is expensive. Does this logo appear respectable? Yes. How can the design appear more youthful? I don’t think this is achieved through the colour combinations as young would infer using an orange tone. Without the use of this deep red/purple, an element of sophistication would be lost, as psychologically, purple suggests luxury. Therefore, instead of completely changing it, how would a purple with an orange hint look?
Introducing the yellow reduces the sophistication of the logo. How can this be resolved? Can the idea of a young audience be introduced in other ways?
The brief specified to avoid using any cliches or stereotypes within this logo but what kind of cliches and stereotypes already exist that I need to avoid? - Within generalised alcohol advertising, there is the assumption that women drink clearer alcohols whereas men drink the darker drinks like beer. This wine bar is targetting both men and women suggesting that they can both like the same drinks and it doesn’t have to follow such a stereotype, so why should the advertising follow this as well? - Wine is considered a more feminine drink so the logo needs to appeal to both genders to avoid anyone making this stereotypical judgement about the place. - The instinct is to use blue, red or white when France is mentioned but this needs to be avoided as the ‘French’ aspect of the name isn’t something to be focused on. Instead using a shade of magenta (red and blue mixed together) could be an effective alternative. - Avoid berets! Agains don’t want to focus on the French aspect too much and how many people have you actually seen a Beret in France that is French? - I want the logo to portray the sophistication that the brewery is going for, using cliches within the advertising will not help emphasise this idea of sophistication. - Maybe if the company are wanting to change the perception of drinking and this ‘binge drinking’ culture, using too many similar techniques to previous logos and signs will not help to differentiate itself. Geometric shapes work well so what if different shapes were used instead?
What have I learnt about visual communication here? - Visual hierarchy features on everything. Having all of these words at the same font, height and size created a bland identity. Creating a focus point from each word establishes a hierarchy within the logo that is important for its success. It helps to engage the audience within each component. - Contrast adds a focal point to the work but having too much contrast creates a series of focal points that all contrast each other instead of a logo. This is the benefit of using a limited tonal palette and the main elements of contrast all feature at the same point - tonal and typographical contrast both creted on the word ‘French’. - Shapes are good to contain the elements, especially when they are going to feature across various different products, but as the right hand example shows, sometimes it is best to break these shapes and expand outside of them. Could this be pushed further? Also why have I stuck with a rectangle? - Revisiting my previous research, I identified that most logos use a circle, why have I used a rectangle? This seems more closed off and although there are still breaks, the concept of a circle is still absent. - Maybe investigate the theory of this.
Two new research points:
- The use of shape within logos and the associations and psychology that this has attached. - Revisit the Gestalt theories, can any of these help to explain the use of form and closure? Prior to doing this research, I will start to put the designs within a context in order to see how they turn out.
Design 1:
Design 2:
Design 3:
Design 4:
Design 5:
What have I learnt from creating the mockups? - Designs can appear very differently on print and creating mockups are an important part of the process. It doesn’t require physical printing out of practice tshirts but something as simple as this method will indicate quickly whether a design is going to work or not. - Although originally the more contained logos appeared better, having no border works better within the mockups, they seem more inviting and give the logo space to breath on the page. This leaves space for the visitors to hyperthetically fill the space with their own memories. - It is ok to change the logos slightly as long as the visual hierarchy and form stays the same. It is ok to do this for the sake of readability but to change it to much within production of different items means that the branding is inconsistent and this is something that the targeted audience will not appreciate. - Perspective makes a massive difference when creating these as the logo won’t always be viewed front on.
What have other people said about these designs? Bearing in mind the target audience in terms of the people I ask. - The designs work really well, the majority of people prefer the 2nd, 3rd or 5th designs. Some suit the target audience more but others appear more French. - There is nothing in the brief to say that this is a French restaurant, it is just the name so maybe the designs that are considered French should be discarded. - The window display needs a border, it suits the purpose better and it also looks more professional on the workers clothing for the bar. However, signs above the door, because they already have the border, don’t necessarily need it. Although changing the colours was an acceptable change I don’t think that erasing a vital form between different purposes would be inkeeping with the branding of the company. - A possible solution to this would be to make the border almost matching to the background it appears on for some designs (like the menu). The border would still exist and be inkeeping with the branding but it isn’t dominant and making the logo seem cramped. When printing this, it could almost be indented instead and this would also be in line with the branding designed.
Which designs are perhaps too French? What characterises French design in the first place? I found an article that outlined the 10 things that are evident in French design, which are: - Drawing skills and illustrations - Pictorial approaches - A clear visual story. - Cliches are not acknowledged. - Unconventional imagery. - Artistic typography. - Distorted imagery. - Artistic influences (painters and artistic styles or periods). - Emotion (both within the images but also an emotive response). - It creates a talking point. But how many of these can be evidenced in the examples I have found of French design? https://www.canva.com/learn/french-design/
These designs seem to line up with everything that the article said. There is definitely a pictorial approach for many of these (only some of the logos are exceptions) and the artistic style employs bold colours with sometimes some unconventional imagery. Considering all of this and the logos style as well, which logo designs seem would be focusing on the French element of the logo? This one definitely does focus on the idea of French too much in my opinion. The others don’t so much, perhaps the top right on the opposite page but from the pointers outlined, this one is the most dominant. It plays on the cliches of a French Bistro too much and this is something that is avoided in all design.
The bottom right design actually creates an effective balance between each of the other logos and the expanse outside of the rectangle doesn’t make it seem closed off and uninviting like it has done on other designs.
Returning back to my earlier research points: The only logo that uses a shape other than a circle is the Alchemist logo. Why is this? Is there psychology behind the use of shapes as well as colour? Of course there is!
Shape Psychology in the use of logos: Circle seems more open, it suggests well roundedness, community and it contradicts the harsh lines of a square. An association can be made to rings as well. A ring in marriage is a strong, longlasting bond that can strongly resonate with the audience. For this brief, a circle helps to suggest that this is a good place to meet and have drinks with a friend. It therefore, makes sense that a circle was used on so many of the earlier designs. However, there are suggestions that the soft curves of a circle are feminine and could therefore appeal to more females and males in terms of design.
A square is a sturdy shape with a strong sense of balance, as, unlike the circle, it seems more stationary whereas, a circle often has the affiliation with movement. It therefore seems professional, strong and safe. When designing, the square needs to be combined with other, perhaps softer elements, in order to portray the ideal message. The source suggests a more curved font will help to portray a sense of responsibility from the company and this is one of the core values identified earlier on. Similarly, it is important to make the public feel safe drinking in this environment, and a square will help to do this.
There is a sense of motion with a triangle that is a bit harsher than the circle. The constant shift suggests more innovation but with a sense of stablity (a combination between the circle and triangle). Consideration has to be made to which way the triangle points. Pointing down or to the left can suggest moving backwards or not improving the current situation.
http://fabrikbrands.com/the-psychology-of-logo-shapes/
How have these experiments helped me develop an understanding of shape psychology? What are the main learning points? - Once the theory of shape psychology was pointed out to me, I realised the impact that it has. Circles definitely seem more inviting but the way this is paired with other shapes is also effected. - Layering up shapes doesn’t just build up the impressions because a circle, square and triangle have been used, the way these shapes interact with each other influence it. Eg. A circle inside a square, although the circle suggests that the company is inviting, being constrained so tightly by the square has an impact, it makes it seem like it is hard to get through the barriers of the company to feel welcomed. - The colour is also influential, colour psychology has to be considered individually but also inclusive of what the shapes portray and what the logo as a whole is trying to portray. - Line thickness guides the eye. This was something I could already establish but seeing it in practice alongside my new understanding of shape psychology affirmed how the eye is guided. The bolder shapes are going to be the main focal point for the eye and therefore be the main qualities that the consumers associate with the brand. This has to therefore be considered and work out which company values are the main ones to highlight. After looking at shape psychology a lot closer, the Alchemist logo is intriguing. What I initially considered an intriguing logo that encourages exploration of the unique drinks menu, the shapes are actually very close in proximity and they all seem to lock the circle in to place. This makes it difficult to view the company as inviting. Whereas, looking at the Shoryu logo above, the circle does feature patterns but these are created by lines and curved edges, the use of the circle is further enforced in the word Shoryu. Doing this makes the company seem even more inviting. Some of my own designs may have seemed more appropriate for the Alchemist. The drinks are experimental and innovative, using the circle as the outer shape and perhaps using more triangles within the formation would have highlighted this.
Gestalt Theories Earlier I picked up on the fact that the rectangle doesn’t seem particularly inviting. It seems like the venue is closed off to new people and as a completely new establishment and brand, this is not ideal. Leaving gaps and expanding outside of these worked really well, it reflects putting yourself outside of the boundaries that we all naturally have set for ourselves. As a concept it works but also in theory it works after I reminded myself of the Gestalt theories.
Theory of Closure
When the brain sees gaps within a shape, it naturally fills them in in order to perceive something as whole or complete. With the previous rectangular designs, this works well as leaving gaps makes the text easier to read but the gaps are in no way complex for the audience to fill in. They can instead be grouped together under the
theory of common fate or theory of continuation
because they are all moving in the same direction, they have the same motion. This would be harder to do if gaps were created within the Alchemist logo because there are so many varying forms. Although the theory of closure is more common with more complex forms, it still works for the basics as well. With more complex structures, what fills the gaps is influenced more by your own personal experiences but with this, there is one obvious structure that is used.
So based on this research, does this logo still function well? No.
Design 6:
Design 7:
Design 8:
Design 9:
Peer Feedback:
Some really liked the gold hen whilst others didn’t. After discussions with them, trying to understand the visual connections they were making, I was able to conclude that using the golden hen makes it look cheaper and like some beer companies that they had seen before. As this is what I am trying to contradict, design 9 was ruled out. Instead design 10 was created, as it is more suited to the target audience and responds strongly to the key words outlined to start with.
design 10/final design:
Evaluation: When I first submitted this exercise to my tutor, I was incredibly happy with the results, even my tutor said I had picked the best logo that I had designed. However, I couldn’t help but think something still wasn’t quite right. The final results for the exercise now reflect a strong research foundation within my work. One that isn’t guided by generic imagery found from Google but looking at successful companies that surround me as well as specific French graphic designers in order to try and capture what is more successful when communicating with an audience and how a ‘theme’ can be characterised. Using previous exercises to find new ways of experimenting helped to bring out more creativity within these logo designs. I was able to use the ‘Seeing the Light’ exercise from part 3 to encourage more experimentation with my work. It wasn’t just about changing the fonts but it was about experimenting with 3 basic components and seeing the results that could be produced. Similarly, a simple exercise from part 4, the Jigsaw puzzle of fonts, provided me with a strong understanding of how fonts are constructed. Now I was able to be more particular about what I expected from the font that I finally selected. Visualising my ideas in this manner meant that I was able to produce far more refined and focused designs. And it is evident where the visualisation methods did and didn’t work. Towards the end of my work, after researching shape psychology, I tried to experiment a lot with the way in which I responded to the key words of young, sophisticated, relaxed and respectable. These designs were less focused as I tried to find a way of introducing the circle that would make the logo seem more inviting, introduce a second colour to help with the appearance of suiting a younger audience, as well as trying to not make the logo seem cliche or appear more like an American fast food logo! Having less of a focus meant that my peers were given multiple choices of logos to select from. But using mock-ups helped both my peers and myself to visualise how these designs would work. The final logo that I have produced reflects on the key words that the brief outlined and my developments since feedback help to make this design more solid in concept. Looking at the Gestalt theories once more and testing out ideas at each stage of research, really helped me to pinpoint how this design needed to form. Observation through testing proved far more effective than I could have anticipated, especially at the early stages. And constantly reminding myself of what was expected from the brief made sure that I stayed on the right track throughout the process. The skills developed as part of this exercise are definitely more visual based than technical but in doing so, I am now able to identify the technical skills that need developing in order to take some of my other designs further. Such skills include my ability to experiment as freely on Illustrator (I mainly used photoshop for this exercise) and my awareness of post production. Although this is not expected at this stage, it would have been interesting to look at how each product type would have required the design. Would the grey have to be altered for some designs? Knowledge of further printing processes would have perhaps led me down more paths of experimentation but this is maybe more suited to a different assignment. Even after I have finished each exercise, it is interesting to revisit the process and notice where my knowledge was previously failing. The designs originally produced captured the sophisticated and respectable nature asked for by the brief but it was starting to use ‘French’ as a key word. Playing on this within the logo was not something specified within the brief and although the concepts that made the font seem a little French still exist within the final design, my research and continued creative development, mean that I am now able to shift the focus to the key words as set by the brief of young and respectable.