LogoLounge 9 by Bill Gardner & Emily Potts

Author:Bill Gardner & Emily Potts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: F+W Media

The first and most essential stage in Sabin’s logo development process is research. “I looked at photos of lions in various positions: roaring, mouth closed, looking up or down, lit from different angles. I also explored the many ways that artists have depicted a lion from stylized to realistic, from modern to ethnic. I looked at color wheels, quilts, engravings and woodcuts,” he explains. “It’s only after I’ve steeped myself in these visual details that I am able to get pencil ideas to flow.”

Sabin sketched a few color wheel variations, along with other lion head styles and a full-body version. “Although my first efforts at illustrating this color wheel idea were interesting, they were too literal and abstract. They didn’t foster the personal connection Kambiz was hoping for,” Sabin notes. The Zoo’s design review team chose two directions for color explorations. Sabin refined and colored these concepts using warm colors typically associated with a lion’s mane.

Unfortunately, the colors weren’t working with the images. The color wheel concept looked more like a mosaic pattern at first glance and less like a lion, and the mane in the other concept created something different altogether, according to Mehrafshani. “It looked like a lion designed for a Brazilian Carnival mask, and the mane overpowered the face. Sadly, the vibrant color palette didn’t work on either of the concepts.”

Mehrafshani and his team stepped back and evaluated all of Sabin’s efforts and realized their mistake. “Instead of testing one-color compatibility first, we had gone straight to full-color treatments. It was an oversight that came purely from our eagerness to see the final product. This was a revealing moment for us. We pressed the reset button, gathered the best pieces of what we’d already created, and started with some fresh ideas,” he says.

Sabin revisited his earlier concepts, taking the best qualities from each concept, and simplified and combined them. He also felt the lion needed to look more regal and less ferocious. At this stage, Mehrafshani also requested type explorations. “We wanted something clean and modern, but that also subtly acknowledged a sense of history and celebration,” he says.

The logo that was ultimately selected fit the best of both worlds—it was beautiful and powerful in both one-color and four-color applications, and it was easy to identify as a lion.

“When we landed on the final mark, it was a moment of pure elation. From the start we wanted a logo that spoke to the San Diego Zoo’s remarkable past and its exciting future,” Mehrafshani says. “Because Tracy learned so much through the ups and downs of the project, he was able to bring all that knowledge together into a beautiful representation of our history. I’m confident no one else could have created something so incredible and appropriate for our organization.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.