I love brands – my favourites are, (no real surprise!), Coca-Cola and Nike – Nike’s ‘just do it’ is just a fantastic tag line too. Both are simple and distinctive. I often see logos which try to pack too much into them – from complicated names to cramming in lots of pictures to depict which sector they work in. The other day I thought a logo was to do with the arts, when in fact it was an insurer who worked in that sector. Bad branding won’t do your brand any favours and can confuse matters.
Last year I was asked to design a logo for Big Futures Foundation, a new charity based in York who help disadvantaged children get through education with practical and financial help.
I had a meeting with the charity and we went through lots of relevant logos – for other charities for children, general charities and also children’s brands. We talked through what they liked and disliked – they wanted bright bold colours but something that didn’t look too childish. I came up with several ideas and colourways and with a few versions I came up with the logo above. I love a logo that not only looks good but has another meaning. Here, the logo shows that the company is helping a star (ie a child) grow and achieve great things by having a podium of bright blocks and the stars getting larger as they reach the top.
I was also involved in creating a strapline – Caroline and I (who now also work together under The Glass Mill, a York marketing agency who helps you grow your business) worked together to write a tag-line which the charity loved. Again we didn’t want it to be patronising, or too childish and we believe it explains really well what the charity does.
Mike and I also set up their website Big Futures Foundation using a great charity template, incorporating their brand colours and images. Mike also took the corporate headshots for the trustees which can be viewed on their about us page.
If you’d like to discuss your branding with a freelance designer, please contact me on lucy@transparentdesign.co.uk.
For a logo similar to this one, Transparent Design charge the following prices:
Logo refresh £150+Vat
New Logo including simple brand guidelines / colours £250+Vat
Strapline creation £100+Vat