02 VISUAL DE VELOPM ENT GUIDE
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Brand / Ideal Toy Company Designer / Krishnapriya Dutta Gupta Class / Nature of Identity Instructor / Hunter Wimmer
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02 VISUAL DE VELOPM ENT GUIDE
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OV E R V I E W
nature of identity
With the vision to revive Ideal’s original brand soul and with the future in mind, we move forward towards the development phase of our brand’s identity. It primarily embodies the core attributes of the brand and the exploration corresponds to each one of those ideas. The goal of this phase is to produce variety with diversity to help us narrow down on one focused direction that reflects the brand’s soul harmoniously.
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Our Background History Logo Evolution New Vision New Goals The Keywords
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Logo Exploration Round 01 / Sketches Round 02 / Distill Round 03 / Initial Refinements Round 04 / Final Refinements
table of contents /
Logo Finalization
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Re-branding Research Similar Logos Brand Inspiration The Way Forward
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Sources Images
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Our Background History Logo Evolution New Vision New Goals
fig.01
young girls sharing
Keywords
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Morris Michtom (1866–1938)
fig. 03
Teddy Roosevelt’s Bear cartoon by Clifford Berryman. From The Washington Post,
O U R H I S TO RY
November 16, 1902.
our background ideal toy company was an american toy company that got its
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start with the iconic teddy bear .
1907–1997 A candy store owner from
partnered with competitors the
turn sold Ideal to Viewmaster
Brooklyn, by the name of
American Character Doll
International and renamed
Morris Michtom, was inspired
Company and the Alexander
itself View-Master Ideal in the
by a cartoon published
Doll Company.
process in 1987.
In 1968, the American Char-
The Ideal line remained part
in The Washington Post on president Roosevelt’s act of empathy. He, with the help of his wife, Rose, designed a new stuffed toy. They called it, Teddy’s Bear.
of Tyco until Tyco’s merger
bankruptcy, and Ideal acquired
with Mattel, Inc., in 1997. Then
the defunct company. In late
in 2003, poof Products, Inc.
1971, Ideal joined the New York
acquired substantially all of the
Stock Exchange; valued at $71
assets of Ideal Toy, located in
Teddy’s Bear took America
million, it was one of the U.S.’s
Ronkonkoma, NY.
by storm, and Morris went on to
top three toy companies.
found the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in 1907.
By 1970, Ideal had outgrown it’s manufacturing complex
During the World War II, the
in Hollis, Queens. Trying to
company’s value rose from $2
maximize profits on the Rubik’s
million to $11 million, Ideal
Cube craze, in May 1981 Ideal
became the largest doll-making
filed civil suits against dozens
company in the United States.
of distributors and retailers
The company’s dolls were so
selling knockoff cubes. In
popular during the post–World
1982, the company was sold to
War II baby boom era, they
CBS Toy Company, which in
began selling dolls under license in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. In 1951, Ideal
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acter Doll Company filed for
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ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY
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Teddy Bear
fig. 05
Teddy Bear by Ideal
fig. 06
African American Betsy Wetsy
manufacturing unit
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LO G O E VO L U T I O N
by Ideal
our background as we move forward in reestab lishing our new brand identity, it is necessary to understand what
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has been left behind .
The evolution of our older
role of the oval shape in all the
identities will help us identify
previous logos – it represents
what was working successfully
connection and community in
and bring it into the new
an active space.
direction should we find an appropriate fit for it. We might also find an element which catered to Ideal’s soul that we would like to retain. Ideal’s logo was fist designed in 1938 with the launch of the company. Overall, it went through four phases of changes, all were kept in a simple, word mark inside a shape. The first and the last logo established a visual connection between the letters ‘e’ and ‘a’ of the word Ideal. This element ref lects the brand’s original soul. We also identified the
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Ideal Toy Company’s first logo. The word mark is in script and enclosed within
1938–1952
an oval shape.
Ideal re-launched its second logo with a bolder, confident and a neutral face. The script word mark changed to sans serif type spaced out
1952–1955
within the oval shapes.
Within five years Ideal again modified its logo. The word mark became condensed and thinner and slight change
1955–1984
to the shapes.
Ideal once again changed the logo after it was sold to CBS. This time the logo lost its outer oval and integrated the shape within the type. The word mark became bolder, thicker and condensed. We also noticed the
1984–1997
connected letter ‘e’ and ‘a’.
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NEW VISION
nature of identity
fig.07
reflection of kids on water.
our background ideal wants to relaunch itself with a new vision of ensuring that every youth grows up fully developing his or her innate
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capacity for empathy.
A better world through the language of play.
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N E W G OA L S
our background we wanted to establish a few parameters to help guide our re - branding objective . these would help us stay focused on
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our core vision .
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Kids will be better leade followers, an most impor better friend
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Kids will be more likely to treat
Kids will understand the
the people they care about
unspoken parts of their com-
the way they wish they would
munication with others.
treat them.
Kids will be able to more accu-
Kids will more clearly
rately predict the actions
understand the perception they
and reactions of people they
create in others with their
interact with.
words and actions. Kids will better understand the
e ers, better and rtantly, ds.
needs of people around them.
Kids will learn how to motivate the people around them. Kids will more effectively convince others of their point of view. Kids will experience the world in higher resolution as they perceive through not only their perspective but the perspectives of those around them.
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THE KEY WORDS
our background in keeping with our re - branding objective , ideal have identified a couple of concepts central to our future expansion , that capture
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the essence of our brand soul .
We identified three keywords which best represents our vision and how we want to be perceived in the future. Then we crafted short phrases to help us narrow down what those keywords mean to us. These keywords are derived from the mission statement: A better world through the language of play. The three keywords that emerged from the above mission statement were – inclusive, collaborative, and play. These keywords helped us start the process of developing our new identity.
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nature of identity
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Key phrase /
Key phrase /
Key phrase /
thrive together
free and easy
embracing differences
play
inclusion
collaborate
The language of play has always
We believe all kids are created
Ideal has always believed in the
been central to Ideal’s goal.
equal. Inclusive play allows
importance of collaboration.
The new Ideal wants to encour-
children of all abilities to
In the past it has collaborated
age a healthy play environment
grow together.
with designers and other
for young boys and girls that prepares them to be more aware about others and themselves.
Playgrounds are a place for laughter, friends and fun where all children and their families
toy companies to further their vision. New Ideal wants to embed this collaborative culture into its future vision.
Research shows, play allows
can play together regardless
young people to use their cre-
of their abilities. Our team
ativity while developing their
of designers can help you create
one” has been around for over
imagination, dexterity,
an inclusive playground
four centuries for a reason.
and physical, cognitive, and
environment that best fits
More effective problem solving
emotional strength. It improves
the unique needs of those in
happens when you combine
social skills as well, by helping
your community.
them to “learn how to work
“Two heads are better than
resources in talent, experience, finances and infrastructure.
in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conf licts, and to learn self-advocacy skills.”
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Logo Exploration Round 01 / Sketches Round 02 / Distill Round 03 / Initial Refinements Round 04 / Final Refinements
kids playing team fig. 08
building game
Logo Finalization
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R O U N D 01 / S K E TC H E S
logo exploration
this is to make sure that before a massive amount of time is invested in refining a solution , a direction is first agreed upon . sketching can start loose , begin ning with basic concepts . after we get a fix on basic direction , the concepts can be further refined
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with detailed sketching .
This primary phase began with sketches of free-hand logos using the keywords/phrases as visual queues. These sketches are divided into three categories namely symbol, abstract, and word mark. During this process, we tried to explore many different options to identify the best possible direction. This phase helped us to give form to abstract ideas we wanted to address in our identity.
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logo sketches for initial round
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INCLUSIVE
“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” — Maya Angelou, an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist.
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We started our sketches under our first keyword, inclusive. To better visualize the concept we narrowed our direction on a key phrase (embracing differences) and used visual queues around it, that supported the key phrase. These were hug, embrace, brackets, connect, high-five, hands and so on.
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Key phrase / embracing differences
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abstract representation of high-five.
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kids holding hand, unity, and acceptance.
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bear represents Ideal’s beginning.
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bear hug represents empathy.
connected letter ‘e’ 05
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and ‘a’ represents making connections.
hands hugging represents friendship and empathy,
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embrace is symbolic to acceptance.
brackets represents an inclusive environment.
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abstract two ‘i’ coming together to form a circle.
open arms symbolizes acceptance and embrace
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open arms symbolizes acceptance and empathy.
an extended hand represents friendship and inclusivity.
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CO LL A BO R AT E
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.” — Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-American businessman, philanthropist
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Our next key word is collaborate and the key phrase (thrive together). We wanted to communicate that Ideal would facilitate collaboration among diverse groups which fosters empathy and team building. We used visual queues like cluster, overlap, intertwine, loop, petals of f lower, horizontal and vertical lines harmoniously arranged and so on.
visual development guide
Key phrase / thrive together
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abstract loop representing group of kids
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intertwined letter ‘i’ symbolizes collaboration
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intertwined letter ‘i’ symbolizes collaboration
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hands coming together for collaboration
rings represents 05
active energy overlapped harmoniously.
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overlapping ovals forms an ‘i’
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connected letter of the word Ideal.
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overlapping ‘i’ representing connections
horizontal and vertical 09
line coming together harmoniously
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an abstract loop of script uppercase ‘i’
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petals symbolizes kids, diversity, bloom
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abstract lines forming a protective environment
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P L AY
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Key phrase / free and easy
“Play fosters belonging and encourages cooperation.” — Stuart Brown, MD Contemporary American psychiatrist
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Our third most keyword is play. We wanted to capture the essence of free play opportunity that Ideal aims to deliver. We used the key phrase (free & easy) to establish the direction we wanted to show. Visual queues like butterf ly, wings, pinwheel, bird were the starting point for this direction.
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pinwheel symbolizes childhood fun
wings, butterfly symbol of free play
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abstract collection of letter’i’ in a movement.
letter ‘i’ forming a butterfly
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graphic of butterfly and formation of letter ‘i’
abstract pinwheel with letter ‘ i’
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bird, wings symbolizes free and easy.
wings symbolizes free, easy and fun.
wings, open arms 09
and youth.
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an abstract representation of a youth with open arms
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an abstract representation of pinwheel
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bird with open wings represents free, easy and fun.
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R O U N D 01 / S U C C E S S
In this round we had few hits and misses with our logo direction. We started distilling our logo concepts that resonates most with the brand soul. We realized that the keyword “inclusive� was not as successful as the other two. The logo sketches under collaboration and play were more successful and after further review we distilled few possible direction to explore in the next round. We shall further refine these direction shown in this section.
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fig. 10
logo refinement sketches
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ROUND 02 / DISTILL
logo exploration
our further logo explorations are based on distilling , focusing and refining the logo concepts . in this round we are more concen -
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trated and less divergent.
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abstract group of pinwheels in motion
After the first review, we want to combine “collaborate” and “play” into one word would help us narrow our focus. So we combined these two words into “co-play”. Similar to our previous explorations here too we worked with visual queues like pinwheel, rainbow, spinning top, these were closest in repoverlapped letter of
resenting the concept of co-play. This time we took our sketches
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to quick digital hybrids to get
the word Ideal to show collaboration
a better sense of angles, proportion and legibility. However, we realized after several exploration that out of all the concepts, pinwheel captures the essence of the brand most harmoniously. It represents childhood fun, collaboration, diversity, and energy. 11
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abstract letter ‘i’ in a form of pinwheel
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C O - P L AY
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spinning top symbolizes childhood fun
collaboration + play
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abstract rainbow represents diversity, fun and youth
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abstract letter ‘i’ as a loap symbolizing kids
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abstract origami paper pinwheel
rainbow represents band 07
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of different colors coming together
connected letter ‘e’ and ‘a’ represents collaboration
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abstract representation of a moving pinwheel
abstract variation in letter ‘ i’
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abstract pinwheel with letter ‘ i’
group of letter ‘i’ in pinwheel form
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abstract form of pinwheel
abstract pinwheel form to represent co-play
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Our new logo concept is pinwheel, which symbolizes diversity, potential, fun, collaboration and childhood innocence.
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ROUND 02 / INITIAL REFINEMENTS
logo exploration
we further explored our final pinwheel concept in this round . it was crucial to consider differ ent ways to design the pinwheel as our logo to best capture the
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essence of our brand .
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In the previous round we distilled our concept to pinwheel, which symbolizes diversity, potential, fun, collaboration and childhood innocence. We explored pinwheel primarily under two camps–symbolic and abstract. We also tried few with the initial letter ‘i’. Logo no. 07 with organic ‘i’ represents childhood innocence and a sense of spontaneity.
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We also picked logo no. 08 because the outer ring represents movement without confining the pinwheel graphic inside a shape. The outer ring provides an illusionary circle around the pinwheel arrangement. Logo no. 13, 14 and 15 were also be considered for further refinement.
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C O - P L AY
collaboration + play
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07
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09
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12
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14
15
fig. 11
kids playing with pinwheel
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ROUND 03 / FINAL REFINEMENTS
logo exploration
this is the final round for the chosen direction . in this round we refine , combine and finalize the logo for further use . we also explored color options and
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word mark .
Logo Mark
Word Mark
We picked the logo concepts from
Along with the logo mark we also
Our color palette for our logo is
the previous round that had
explored options for the word
vibrant, youthful and captures diversity. We tried several
potential for further refinement.
mark to be used with or without
Based on our previous round we
the signature. Initially we tried
combinations but we finally nar-
further refined our logos
to show collaboration in the
rowed on the set of colors that
concepts around the pinwheel
word mark but in our final
closely represent pinwheel. Most
concept. We wanted to
refinement we made the word
color arrangements revolved
incorporate the letter ‘i’, sense
mark mimic the logo mark. The
around four colors, however the
of movement and childhood
word mark no. 09 looked most
logo mark no. 07 resonated most
innocense. Out of all the
appropriate for finalization.
with the brand essence.
exploration logo no. 12 emerged as the most successful. We now finalize this mark with word mark and color combinations.
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Color
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LO G O M A R K
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07
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WORD MARK
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07
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modified Comfortaa with combined e and a
modified Monsterrat typeface with combined e and a
modified Gotham typeface that mimics the logo mark
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05
08
script typeface to represen
modified Futura round with e and a connected
modified Myriad Pro typeface that mimics the logo mark
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06
09
modified Akidenz Grotesk that mimics the logo mark
modified Akidenz Grotesk that mimics the logo mark
modified Gotham typeface that mimics the logo mark
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LO G O M A R K / 4 C O LO R
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02
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07
08
07
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09
09
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R O U N D 0 3 / F I N A L I Z AT I O N
fig. 12
pinwheel close-up (previous spread)
fig. 13
Final logo refinement sketch
logo this is our final logo for further usage . our new logo stands for collaboration , fun , energy, diversity, and childhood innocence . its an abstract representation of a pinwheel which encapsulates the
Ideal signature
Ideal logo mark
core essence of our brand .
Ideal word mark
exploration
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LO G O M A R K / P I N W H E E L
4 colors
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represents diversity
ring shows pinwheel movement
initial letter ’i’
circle represents community, active shape, holistic
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W O R D M A R K / G OT H A M M O D I F I E D
square reshaped to circle
serif added
serif added
serif added
square to curve corners
square to curve corners
square to curve corners
serif added
serif added
square to curve corners
square to curve corners
serif added square to curve corners
serif added square to curve corners
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Re-branding Research Similar Logos Brand Inspiration
fig. 14
diverse group of kids
Way Forward
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S I M I L A R LO G O S
re-branding research before finalizing our logo design , it is essential to conduct a visual research and study of other logos in the market that share elements similar to ours . it is also to make sure that our logos doesn ’ t already exist inside or outside our category.
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GlobalGiving / Crowdfunding Similarity: connecting people Difference: rigid & structured
Often, logos from two different sources look very similar and at times identical, even though with different meaning and purpose. As a part of brand awareness, it is necessary to present similar logos like ours and how we differentiate from those logos. We identified for each following logo one similarity and one difference in comparison to our new Ideal logo.
Alfredo Vidal / Travel agency Similarity / repetitive letter Difference / Initial letter ‘A’
Meseo de Ciencias / Museum Similarity: organic movement Difference: represents sun
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Huntsville Airport Authority
Manter Macmillan / Architects
Q-Psych / Psychology centre
Titan / Fasteners & Washers
Similarity: organic shape
Similarity: soft contours
Similarity: represents pinwheel
Similarity: repetitive letter
Difference: looks like leaf
Difference: square structure
Difference: looks like flower
Difference: Initial letter ‘T’
People Plus / Employment
Cecap Publicity / Advertising
Photolithographic School
Precision Tools
Similarity: represents pinwheel
Similarity: movement
Similarity: movement
Similarity: element repeated
Difference: Initial letter ‘p’
Difference: square structure
Difference: Initial letter ‘L’
Difference: Initial letter ‘T’
Radio ElPais / Radio station
Indelpar / Industrial Supply
Ziccardo / Air conditioning
Kentico / Online Marketing
Similarity: repeated elements
Similarity: initial letter ‘i’
Similarity: movement & organic
Similarity: circular movement
Difference: sharp & triangular
Difference: represents star
Difference: represents air
Difference: represents sun
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Chengage / Digital Learning
Children’s Hope / Non-profit
Similarity / abstract movement
Similarity / pinwheel concept
Difference / represents star
Difference / sharp edges
Chase Bank / Banking
E-trade / Financial Corporation
Similarity / elements repeated
Similarity / pinwheel concept
Difference / structured
Difference / hidden arrow
Google Nexus / Electronics Similarity / pinwheel concept Difference / structured
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fig. 15
B R A N D I N S P I R AT I O N
diverse group of kids playing (previous spread
re-branding research re - branding research would be incomplete without studying few successful brand guidelines out there . we reviewed several brand standards during our development phase to find inspiration for our
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way forward .
It is important for Ideal
Electrolux visual standards
Avoid too much information.
to comeback with a relevant,
guide is a 44 page document
It can be confusing and
consistent and a clear set of
with all the required informa-
often misleading.
guidelines in-order to have
tion very precisely organized.
a successful re-launch.
We have listed a few things that
We studied nearly 30 successful
we liked and would ensure in
visual standards guides, out
Ideal’s visual standards:
of those we found some more relevant and inspiring than the others. Electrolux, is one of them.
The brand logo evolution section is not clear and crisp. Overall, the guide has simplicity and the amount of detailing feels just right. We understood that a brand guide should have simple and relevant language for anyone to understand. Every section should be clearly labelled with a brief introduction.
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Relevant examples are immensely helpful in visualizing a particular rule.
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E L E C T R O L UX / B R A N D G U I D E L I N E S
These are the a few selected spreads from the Electrolux brand guide that inspired us to plan our way forward. It consists of brand history, logo usage, typography, grid, brand imagery, and brand colors.
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WAY F O R WA R D
re-branding research we now finalize our primary logo lock- up with the word mark and begin the way forward to the correct applications and standards
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of the identity we have created .
After identifying similarities and differences (visually and conceptually) between our new logo and others in the market, we know that our mark has not been done before. A set of rules must be developed in order to maintain consistency and cohesive application across medium. These rules serve as a guide to ensure the identity is used with clarity and harmoniously. The next phase of our re-branding process is Visual Standard Guide.
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nature of identity
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new Ideal logo application group of kids playing tough-of-war (next spread)
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“If we are to reach real peace in this world… we shall have to begin with children.” —Mahatma Gandhi
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I M AG E S
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sources
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fig. 01
http://www.offset/photos/404716
fig. 02
https://www.google/teddybearcartoon
fig. 03
https://www.google/Teddy-bear-factory-1915
fig. 04
https://www.google/1200px-Teddy-bear-27
fig. 05
http://www.google/il_fullxfull.249502256
fig. 06
https://www.offset/photos/274352
fig. 07
http://www.offset/photos/463788
fig. 09
process image/sketchbook/initial
fig. 10
process image/sketchbook/refinements
fig. 11
https://www.gettyimages/180408846
fig. 12
https://www.gettyimages/165710208
fig, 13
process image/skechbook/final refinement
fig. 14
https://www.gettyimages/640203586
fig. 15
https://www.gettyimages/88452363
fig. 16
logo application image/emboss
fig. 17
https://www.gettyimages/481495699
visual development guide
DISCLAIMER This book is a non-commercial project for education purposes and is not intended to represent the Ideal Toy company nor brand.