Process Book

Graphic Design 221 | Spring 2016 | Logo Project

Derek Nosbisch

“Symbolize and Summarize”

-Saul Bass

Logo Design

InspirationI looked at various record labels and their artists in order to get a sense of what kind of imagery they used and the “mood” I wanted to achieve within the brand and logo.

Brief

CREATIVE BRIEFOVERVIEW

1. Project Background and DescriptionThe proposed project is a logo design and branding for a fictional record label called Runaway Recordings (RR). RR’s mission statement is to “look for and cultivate new and upcoming talent in the music industry from a variety of genres, as wellas provide a safe haven from established artists that allows for creative freedom outside of the domain of the traditional record industry.”

2. Project GoalsThe intended goal of the logo is to provide a visual summation of RR’s mission statement, to entice artists to take a look at Runaway Recordings as an alternative to the mainstream record industry, and to help visually sell the brand to consumers when they pick up the cd’s or vinyl’s of RR’s signed artists.

3. AudienceThe target audiences are as follows:• Up and coming artists in many different genres • Establishment artists that want to break away from the traditional record industry • People in the age range of 15-35 years • Men and women

4. MediumThe logo will be designed in Adobe illustrator after the initial brainstorming process and ideation phase. Once there are 48-60 logo design sketches, I will reevaluate my design choices, and choose one overall design that best encompasses the project goals. The logo will be print and web viewable.

5. BudgetThe cost of printing materials is the only incurred cost

Sketches

Using my visual research, I explored various ways that I could interpret that kind of iconography and morph it into a logo that matched my mission statement.I quickly found that I gravitated to the more geometric ones. I wish I would’ve explored some other more image-based logos.

Sketches

Iterations

These are the first four computer iterations that I came up with, eventually

going back to my sketches to add lines to the first

iteration (top left) in order to give it a music slider

vibe.

Final 4

These are further iterations of the design I liked the most, exploring how negative space and color impact the design.

Further Iterations

Color explorations, determining how and when to use colors (would be important for branding further down the line). The lines

Final Choice

These are the final iterations of the Runaway Recordings logo, exploring the logo on black and white backgrounds with and without color. This was done to determine how it would be implemented on various media.

Explanation

The Runaway Recordings logo is bold. It challenges artists to escape convention and dare to create. The rectangles resemble sliders on a mix table, evoking a musical theme. The gradient of colors shows our commitment to a diversity of artists. The gradual fading of the rectangles into the background portrays an artist breaking away from convention and the strikethrough on the lettering represents the gap between us and traditional labels. The logo is a bold statement of inclusiveness and artistry, boldly setting our intentions to make a mark in the industry.