To start my branding off, I looked at the what I previously had and my opinions on it was that it was too clunky and I didn't really like the typeface that I used. I felt that this was a good start for the branding and suited me last year, as it was the first time thinking about myself as a designer and how I wanted to represent that.
But now I think it needs to change and be something that is a bit more 'designed' and more considered to my own work and my own practice. I feel that throughout this year I have grown up as a designer and I have learnt about the areas of design that I see myself working in. The branding above, doesn't relate to this and I don't feel any sort of connection with the design of it.
I have tried a few different variations of the logo. I still want to carry on using 'nb' as I think this works well for the branding, its short and the two letters sit together really well.
I had two different ideas that I wanted to experiment with for the new branding - a illustrated, flowing type set logo or one which uses a serif font.
The first idea being a illustrated type set logo. I like the idea that the two letterforms are joined together and create a flow between them both, the idea of them using each other to create the full letterform is quite interesting and creates an abstract logo, which is definitely memorable.
I started working on this idea and decided to see how little of the letterforms I could use and still make out the 'nb'. It was quite hard with 'b' as if you miss certain parts of that letterform out it becomes un readable. I think that this is a step too far, the 'n' doesnt really look like an 'n' and the whole composition of the the logo doesn't look right.
Adding a stem onto the 'n' created the full letterform, but again this still doesn't fit together well. The white spce between the 'n' and 'b' is too much and makes the whole logo unbalanced.
Added a small part of the stem to the bottom of the 'b', both improves the legibility of the 'n' and it also adds to the 'b'. This is by far the most legible version of the logo, but I'm still not sure about it, it is quite similar to my old branding, in the way that is it very thick stroked and clunky. I like the idea of having the bespoke typeface, but I just don't think it is working that well.
Moving onto the second idea. This was the use of a serif font. To start off with I searched online to find a font which I liked the form of to use within my branding. After looking through many fonts, I came across Playfair. I liked the form of the typeface and the small details of the weights of the strokes within each letterform. I preferred the typeface in uppercase than lower, as I think the details of the letterforms work better within a capital letter, plus NB looks better in caps than lowercase, as it gives it a more rectangular shape with the letterforms finishing to the same x height.
I started off using this font and tested it both in lowercase and uppercase.
Adding a full stop to the end of the logo, I feel finishes it off. The idea of the full stop is to sort of show some assertiveness within the logo. As i previously said, I think the typeface works better in uppercase than lowercase. The letterforms are formed better within the uppercase and you can see the true serif typeface within this, the use of the different weights to the strokes in the uppercase make it more interesting. I think the lowercase letters look quite thick and chunky, compared to the uppercase, which feel as though they have a more elegant / sophisticated form to them.
The one thing I didnt like about the the typeface was the kerning between the letters. I think that in the standard typeface, it is too large and seperates the letters too much - maybe using it as a body copy type this would be fine, but as a logo the letterforms feel too far apart.
With this first one, I decreased the letter spacing a lot and tried to see what the logo would look like if the two letterforms were joined at the top. As you cans see, this doesnt work at all, with them joined together it creates an area of white space between the letters which doesnt sit that nice. Along with the serif on the bottom of the 'B' is creates an awkward shape between the letters which is the only thing you see when you look at the logo.
Increasing the spacing so that the letterforms are seen as two separate forms, but much closer together creates a better composition for the logo. These feel like they are meant to be placed next to each other and even though they are separate they feel as one within the logo. I have also decreased the size of the fullstop and brought it closer to the letterforms, as again it felt like is was too distant and not part of the logo.
After working on this version of the logo, I believe this is the one to use within my branding. I really like the typeface as it is a create serif type and I love the details of the various stroke weights within the letterforms, both the letters look great in the type and fit together really well within the logo. I feel that using this serif type creates a more professional branding than my previous one, this shows more sophistication and elegance, which from where I am as a designer compared to last year, this fits really well. Also using a serif is different to what I would normally do, but I do like it.
Mocking up the three different identities onto a business card, shows how the logos would fit within the format and sit on the product itself. As I have previously said the first logo is very similar to the previous identity, and it is evident here that they both have a thick and clunky aesthetic to them - as a designer I think this reflects in a negative way towards your practice as this maybe could communicate that your work has this similar style, which isn't great.
The final serif type looks brilliant on the business card, even though this is only a digital mock up to show how the logo fits within the space, it looks great already. Seeing that logo compared to other two, definately makes me think that the serif is the best route to go with. It looks much more design led and considered as a logo, the details make it more interesting to look at and it feels much more professional.
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