BRANDING AND IDENTITY
wit180
OVERVIEW
LOGO
Ai
Adobe Illustrator CC 2016
DESIGN RATIONALE
So why wit180? A lot of designers use their name as their brand, but there are countless others who do not. They, instead, create a business name, and I’ve heard pros and cons for each. Some arguments against using a personal name include: it's too artsy, "ego" driven, or self-centred; "What if you hire employees?"; You're not a popular designer yet; It's lame, and not original. Using a business name creates a brand that is more distinctive, and allows for expansion. However, I think there has been a shift towards the individual over the last decade that should be embraced, and wit180 is more of a personal brand simply done in a creative way. I want to have a brand that is both personal and professional, and I feel that this identity binds the best of both worlds. (I also wanted a short, easy to type domain)
This design worked well since the horizontal reflection of “i” is an exclamation point “!”. It really captures the idea behind wit, which is just that, ideas! Using them in a quick and inventive way. Ideas are commonly represented symbolically through the use of an exclamation point because of how sudden they can surface and how exciting it is when they do (if they’re good).
MOOD BOARD
STEP 1. DISCOVER
This collection of images is the result of a mood board that I worked on before starting the design phase of the project. I was primarily focused on finding clever designs.
SKETCHES
Before creating the final logo, I worked in pen sketches and Illustrator CC to create rough compositions of the logo elements.
COMPOSITION
STEP 2. DESIGN
COLOUR PALETTE
TYPOGRAPHY
WEB DESIGN
Ai Ps
LANDING PAGE
STEP 2. DESIGN
I wanted the landing page to be minimal yet creative, with little more than the logo. Designed using Wix.
UX/UI WEBPAGE LAYOUT
SYMBOLISM
Why the box? There are 5 reasons for why I base my visual identity heavily on cardboard boxes:
1. I needed a creative way to indicate/depict a 180° rotation of the word "wit" and my name, and boxes have that "This side up" symbol.
2. I'm delivering a product/service, and boxes symbolize fast, secure, and even global delivery.
3. There tends to be an element of surprise and excitement in the anticipation associated with receiving packages in the mail, and hopefully it's the same experience for my clients with my designs.
4. You see what kids can do with a box, turning it to spaceship or a fort. It's a symbol for creativity. There is even a book about it!
See, “What To Do With A Box” by Jane Yolen.
5. Ideas, like boxes, are recyclable, and can be reused. That's why it's good as an artist to brain dump all of your ideas into a sketchbook, even if you don't think they're good and decide to scrap them from your current projects, because they might come in handy later on. There's no such thing as bad creativity. Art is subjective, and personal, and there's a million different ways to value it. Also, a somewhat popular artist once said, "Good artists copy. Great artists steal." So stealing or reusing and, in essence, recycling what other artists have created is a constant theme in design. Plus, recycling is eco-friendly, and so am I!
FAVICON
PRODUCT DESIGN
Ai Ps
BUSINESS CARD...BOARD
STEP 3. DELIVER
I had a lot of fun creating these after establishing the direction of my brand. I wanted to create leave-behind pieces, and I wanted my business cards to portray more than just my contact information. These act as a representation of the creativity and wit in my work, and tiny things are always cute.
BUSINESS CARD...BOARD
STEP 3. DELIVER
A simple presentation of the front design. I took advantage of the opportunity to include my capabilities with Adobe CC design software, namely Illustrator (Ai) and Photoshop (Ps), as part of the shipping labels. Having some of the information written upside down forces the reader to flip the card 180°. Some might see that as being clever, or witty.
What’s in the box?. This was I think the most fun to design, and as I continue to produce work I can continue to expand on my business card-board boxes.
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