This assignment focused on creating our own personal logo. Somehow expressing our own identity, and how we want to be seen and perceived through this mark. Over several weeks we sketched, revised and developed the logo. Though I went about it a bit backwards, and threw myself off of the process by jumping right from initial sketching to finalizing before having a real clear idea of what my vision was in identifying myself.
Once I figured out I was putting the cart before the horse, I went back and looked at what I had. I definitely wanted my initials in my logo, as well as an identifier that I am a designer. Initially the letters were at the same size and overlapping, as you can see in the sketch. I was very stubborn about wanting a red “W” and a black “L.” I like those colors together, and use that scheme for just about everything so it felt right. But this is also how people will initially see my work, and when it was brought to my attention that it was quite aggressive, which I don’t feel I am - at least not in a threatening manner – I knew I had to rethink it. If the logo puts someone off based upon color or layout, what type of person or designer will they think I am? So I looked into the meaning of colors and found that blue most represents my style – and also explains why blue seems to be a favorite for most corporate logos.
Blue is friendly and calm and inviting, but it also represents honesty and a deliberateness in decision-making. I think these qualities definitely relate to me and are great qualities for a designer especially a graphic designer. I want people to trust in my work, to know I am there to be a steward for their brand and take care of them, and that I think through my designs before making a decision. I don’t want to waste their time nor my own.
Instead of having the mark and “Lauren Wilson Designs” on the right or running underneath, I scrapped all of that and just kept “Designs” to run along the bottom under the base of the “L.” I also changed the hierarchy of what should be seen first so it reads as “L W Designs.” To do this I made the “W” smaller and lighter, so the “L” carries more visual weight, bringing the eye down from “L” to “W” to “Designs.”
The loop in the W was intentional, originally it looped around the L, but since the balance was off, I kept the element because it reminded me of how I struggled with letters forms when I was younger. I was never able to make a proper scripted “W”, so I would create a scripted “L” and add an extra mark to make the capital “W.” In my design here, the loop is a lowercase “L” transforming into a “W,” so it’s a personal homage to my early writing and understanding of letterforms.
I think creating ones own identity is one of the hardest assignments as a designer I have ever had. I think part of it has to do with the personal exposure. This mark is an extension of yourself, who you are and how you want to represent yourself. As an artist if a piece I do isn’t to everyone’s liking, it can eventually be moved on from, however a logo is much more permanent. Sure it can be revised and changed, but it’s attached to everything so a lot of thought, attention and fear needs to be overcome to get it just right.
