BRAND APPLICATION GUIDELINES
UNDERSTANDING THE MO BRAND
The Malta Oil identity was specifically designed to visually represent the new local energy company. The bold MO typography enclosed within the rhombus effectively creates a distinctive crest. Elements such as the tapered “waveinspired” tear that seemingly separates the two letters add subtle touches of style to the corporate logo. The wave and green sphere enclosed by the letter “O” both symbolise green and renewable energy sources, issues that are regularly tackled in the energy market. Having a mark that takes these issues into consideration will aid third party companies and consumers in believing in the MO Brand. Other subtle elements, such as the soft shadow under the MO Mark, signify the company’s elevation from traditional, and sometimes controversial, energy company practices. The primary corporate colours, Pure White, Apple Green and Prussian Blue enhance the contemporary branding direction. The MO Mark may also be applied in one colour rather than full colour, however, it must be reproduced by abiding to the three corporate colours. The rhombus symbolism is also present in all MO Stationery, Vehicles, Product Packages, Clothing and Online Presence. Keeping a consistent theme throughout all the company’s corporate material will emphasise on consistency and professionalism, two elements that are crucial in any market.
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GENESIS OF THE ICON I began to experiment with different MO design possibilities. My aim was to create a distinct logo that looked unique and had no ties to other brands. I kept in mind the Energy Company logos I had researched and made sure that the MO mark I designed would stand out when placed next to the hypothetical competitors.
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After several experiments I moved on to trying out different possibilities in which the letters MO could be presented. These included mimicking 3D typography and also dividing the typography into different-shaded segments. During the process of experimentation, I opted to apply a very minimal typographic MO logo over an array of photographs that are related to clean energy. This idea was inspired by Wolff Olins’ “Aol” branding project, where the Aol typography appears over a random image. In this case, the photograph served the purpose of completing the letter “O.”
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REFINING THE MARK I moved away from my initial branding ideas and explored different possibilities; these included placing the MO within an air bubble. enclosed within a sphere. This would have represented “a breath of fresh air� for energy consumers.
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However, I felt that the “cleaner� concepts I had worked on previously were visually more effective. After determining the typography I would use, I began to experiment using different shapes that could contain the MO typography.
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THE MO MARK I felt that the MO logo is the immediate representation of the energy company and key iconographic presence in the world of energy generation and consumption. It is a valuable corporate asset that must be used consistently in the proper, approved forms. Therefore, I developed the final MO Mark, a stylised typographic logo enclosed within a floating rhombus. The full colour MO mark can be used in two variations, both over Pure White and over Prussian Blue.
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I feel that the reversed out version (below) tends to leave a stronger impact compared to its counterpart (left). This version of the MO Mark works perfectly when placed over an image, as seen in the MO Homepage.
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STICKING TO THE RULES To standardize the use of the MO Mark, I opted to allow a minimum clearance space of 5mm to the smallest logo application. The clearance should be increased proportionally to the logo application, or larger when possible. One should also keep in mind the corporate colour swatches presented on the right. When putting the MO logo to use, one must adhere to the specific colours that are directly associated with Malta Oil. These hues allow the Malta Oil brand to stand out when placed next to other competitptors in the oil business.
5.5mm 5mm
mo logo clearance (logo and clearance are proportionately scaled)
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I opted to use two contemporary typefaces when creating the brand; the “Klavika” and “Gotham Round” families. Klavika was designed by Eric Olson in 2004 and contains four weight counterparts; light, regular, medium, and bold. Gotham is a family of geometric sans-serif designed by American type designer Tobias Frere-Jones. The typography was inspired by a form of architectural signage that achieved popularity in the mid-twentieth century and is especially popular throughout New York City.
corporate colour swatches
Prussian Blue
Apple Green
Pure White
corporate typography
icon colour application
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Black
APPLYING THE MARK When applying the logo to commercial material one should adhere to the previously stated rules of MO Mark clearance and colour. The Malta Oil logo and any related typographic elements do not work well when placed directly over an image in print material, whereas opting to place the content over a white area ensures that the information is clearly reproduced and understood by the readers.
incorrect use
correct use
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After analysing different possibilities for the MO Mark application, I concluded that the logo is best left unaltered in any way, such as putting into effect a change in color or element rotation. Applying new and irrelevant visual effects such as beveling reduces the overall professional look of the mark, and consequentially reduces the credibility of the logo representing a serious energy company.
What is the MO Initiative?
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MALTA OIL STATIONERY
When developing the MO Mark to be applied onto the stationery I opted to follow a strict set of visual guidelines that finally gave the printed material a coherent and unified look. Since the stationery will be distributed to countless clients and other business individuals, I used the “reversed-out” logo over Prussian Blue to strengthen the overall serious, more striking, corporate look that is so widely sought. I applied the MO rhombus to the envelope window that stylishly displays the client details that are printed on the company letterhead. The diagonal “divider” seemed to create a clear division between two main data types in the stationery. For instance, the client and company contact details are all available on higher tier of the letterhead, whereas the personal client message is displayed in the lower white division. I also opted to include the tagline in the stationery by placing it in the inner section of the envelope. This created a form of interactivity between the corporate material and the client, where upon opening the envelope, the client reveal’s the tagline “expanding horizons.”
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mo stationery set
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GETTING ON THE GRID Like the MO Stationery Set, I designed the Malta Oil website with the MO Rhombus in mind; both in the text areas and the video player container. All the website elements, including typography, layout and the photograph follow the previous MO guidelines.
mo company website
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mo logo animation storyboard
mo logo animation (mid-transition)
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PRODUCTS & SERVICES Being an energy company, I believe that it was imperative that Malta Oil would have a strong Oil Product and Service Station presence. Both the Oil Cans and the Station’s Exterior Design use the official MO colours and angular designs. Apart from the standard package design, I experimented with embossing the MO Mark on the plastic bottle itself.
mo oil product packages
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I approached the MO Service station with one clear objective in mind: to create an aesthetically pleasing, high profile Service Station to clearly represent the MO company status. After researching numerous station imagery, I came across a gas station who’s architectural elements resembled those seen in TignÊ Point.
mo service station
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VEHICLES & UNIFORMS Like the stationery and products, the MO Vehicle Fleet and Uniforms have all been specifically designed to suit the Malta Oil look. The use of dark blues, green and white are evident in trucks, clothing and safety-gear alike.
mo oil truck
mo ford transit
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mo safety helmet
mo clothing line (left to right) tshirt, customair care representitive, rig windcheater
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FORMULA ONE Like all energy companies, being advertised in large events such as the Formula One Grand Prix races is an asset to the company’s reach to a larger audience. Apart from advertising along the race track, I also applied the MO brand on the Mercedes-Benz racing team that conveniently carried a similar colour scheme. Both the racing cars, uniforms and helmets are adorned with the MO Mark.
mo advertising at the Formula One Gran Prix events
I am very pleased with the final outcome of my branding project; I feel that I was allowed to experiment and make choices when dealing with branding the energy company. Adapting the logo to the stationery, amongst other material, allowed me to exploit my logo concept to suit the entire range of corporate material and products. I am proud of the end result of the brand concept I worked on and will carry the experience I gained through any future branding projects.
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mo advertising on Mercedes-Benz Racing Helmet
mo advertising on Mercedes-Benz F1 Car
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