I am faced with the task of creating a simple corporate style in warm, pleasant tones, safe, with elements of coziness and celebration.
At first, there was a search for an idea. There were so many cool logos and corporate styles related to books that it seemed all ideas and techniques had already been used.
The task of creating a festive theme and the approach of Christmas holidays suggested a direction towards Ukrainian Christmas, festive stars, the traditional didukh (a sheaf of wheat), and dark night colors. Great, but it's important not to overplay this theme.
I made several attempts on paper. A bookmark — quite a cliché idea, but it was necessary to try it out to avoid revisiting it again.
The first approach with four logo options, color palettes, and a font selection. A more simple and readable version won at this stage, but it was too plain; a more expressive style needed to be sought.
After some more research and discussions, a second approach emerged. It was simpler and more dynamic. The concept that the event could be held in different cities was maintained, or the possibility to add a slogan was considered.
A star was born, symbolizing books and a person at the center, surrounded by books, engaged in reading. The ability to link this star with the Christmas holidays, during which the festival would take place, became a pleasant bonus.
The final corporate style and logo turned out to be simple, clear, warm, and soft. The logo is sufficiently versatile in its use. A simple symbol, symbol plus text, to which a slogan or the city of the event can be added, and the maximum version of the logo with shapes that add color and corporate style.
Artificial intelligence is a very convenient tool capable of meeting urgent needs, speeding up work, or automating some routine tasks. For example, it turns out that it's not necessary to make or buy mockups of t-shirts, bags, etc., it's enough to ask DALL-E or Midjourney to draw a mockup of anything in seconds.
This was my first experience working with a client from outside; before this, I worked in a product company. Initially, you need to understand the problem. The task of a designer is to find the problem, and there are many different research tools that should be used for this. It is also important not to deviate from the final concept.
You need to learn how to sell ideas. An idea cannot always be understood through prototypes or sketches; you need to be able to sell the idea — tell a story.