UK USA
Branding, Typography, Logo Design
This project was for the re-branding of the company EKUSA. They are a company in Utah that makes corporate accessories such as lanyards. They were one of the main sponsors for the 2002 Olympics and provided lanyards for the athletes. I found their logo in need of some re-branding. I thought it was very bland and needed a more athletic feel.
The idea was to create motion inside of a logo that still looked like it could be professional and in a corporate setting. I used inspiration from the Adidas lines and the Nike swoosh in creating this logo.
I toyed with a lot of different fonts and actually was urged to use this one by a colleague. I originally didn’t want to use it but saw that it had a lot of potential and so I based my design around utilizing the strengths of this typeface.
This logo definitely turned out differently than I planned but I wanted to build a stronger brand that wasn’t too loud to be used on stationary in a corporate office. I feel I succeeded in that regard. I think that I could continue with this logo and create alternatives other than just the simple letter mark. I also don’t know how I like the colors and they could still use some work. I took inspiration from Ralph Lauren’s Polo collection. I liked the simple blue and red. In creating these mock-ups, I expanded the brand to more than just accessories.
Programs Used
I wanted to take the design of the lines and incorporate it into other components of the branding. I used a ghosting technique to incorporate the lines at the bottom of this name tag. I choose a bold san serif font for the typography on this name tag. Even though it was different from the angular display typeface in the logo, I felt like it stood out without being distracting to the name badge.
For this component of the branding presentation, I created a basic shirt that this company could create. This is a little outside of what they do currently. It's mostly name badges that business materials. I did however think for the marketing and branding side, there was more they could do with trendy styles and show off the geometric brand that I was creating.
For the stationary portion of this rebrand, I wanted to have a really simple letterhead and stationary. I used the same typeface that I was used in the name badge because of the weight and legibility.
I liked the heavier and textured envelope because it felt more professional. This is just one size and format but you can use the same stationery for other business components that are sent out.
I added the embossing to the top, creating consistent branding and a nicer feel to it. I've believed that having extra things on your components shows what type of company you are and that you're really paying attention to detail.
In the business cards, I kept the same consistency as the other parts of branding. I used the two same colors because they are bright and very patriotic, instilling the USA theme of the company.
I did two different variations of the business card to create some variety. Many business cards feel very cluttered with information and I didn't want these to feel that way.
I liked having the edges of this card to have the color palette. It helps them stand out in a stack of business cards with fairly heavy paper for a business card.
The exterior sign is really simple and nothing too fancy. I do like how it has a high contrast of white to the logo. The iconography really stands out against it. It is intended so you can light the inside of the sign and it can stand out in the night or early morning hours.