Designing a Brand Identity In 8 HOURS. How did I do? ๐Ÿ˜…

Will Paterson
11 Apr 202317:13

TLDRIn this video, the creator challenges themselves to design a complete brand identity, including a logo, brand guidelines, business cards, and mock-ups, all within 8 hours. The process begins with client research and strategy, followed by brainstorming and mood boarding using tools like Miller Note and Figma. The designer then sketches and refines the logo, creating a unique typographic aesthetic that caters to creative professionals. A color scheme is developed, and brand guidelines are established using a template from Assets 4D. Business cards are designed using a template, and the project is completed with mock-ups and client presentation. The video highlights the importance of thorough research and strategic planning in the design process, even when working under tight deadlines.

Takeaways

  • ๐Ÿ•’ **Time Efficiency**: The speaker challenges the norm by attempting to design a full brand identity, including logo, guidelines, business cards, and mock-ups, within just 8 hours.
  • ๐Ÿ“ **Client Brief**: The project begins with a client brief for 'Folio', a portfolio website aiming to offer a unique service by not utilizing generative AI for data modeling.
  • ๐ŸŽจ **Design Tools**: Various tools are mentioned, such as Miller Note for mood boarding, Adobe Illustrator for refinement, and Canva for business card design.
  • ๐ŸŒ **Online Resources**: The use of online platforms like Gen C for project management and payment, and Coolors for color scheme generation, streamlines the design process.
  • ๐Ÿ’ก **Inspiration**: The designer draws inspiration from other logos and brands, like Medium and Amazon, to create a unique and modern aesthetic for Folio.
  • ๐Ÿ” **Mind Mapping**: A crucial step in the design process is mind mapping, which helps connect different ideas and imagery to generate new concepts.
  • โœ๏ธ **Typography Focus**: The designer emphasizes the importance of typography in creating a unique brand identity, playing with letter shapes and spacing to achieve a distinctive look.
  • ๐Ÿ”„ **Refinement**: Refining the initial sketches is a time-consuming process that involves optical balancing and attention to minute details to ensure a professional final product.
  • ๐Ÿ“ **Grid and Guidelines**: Using grids and guidelines in Illustrator helps to align and balance elements of the design for consistency and visual appeal.
  • ๐Ÿ“„ **Brand Guidelines**: Creating brand guidelines is essential to preserve the integrity of the design and to instruct clients on proper usage to prevent misuse of the brand assets.
  • ๐Ÿ’ณ **Business Card Design**: The process of designing a business card is streamlined by using existing templates and adapting them to fit the brand's identity.

Q & A

  • What is the challenge the speaker is taking on in the video?

    -The speaker is challenging themselves to design a complete brand identity, including a logo, brand guidelines, business cards, and mock-ups, all within 8 hours.

  • What is the name of the company for which the speaker is designing the brand identity?

    -The company is called 'Folio', which is a portfolio website.

  • Why does the speaker mention using App Gen C?

    -App Gen C is a tool that helps freelance designers work with their clients, manage project proposals, client briefing, communication, files, and payments all in one place. The speaker uses it for this project to streamline the process.

  • What is the unique aspect of the 'Folio' company that the speaker mentions?

    -The uniqueness of 'Folio' comes from its policy of not using generative AI to scan the website and use uploaded images for data modeling.

  • What tool does the speaker use for creating a mood board?

    -The speaker uses Miller Note to create a mood board for the brand identity project.

  • How does the speaker approach mind mapping in the design process?

    -The speaker uses mind mapping to connect different imagery in word form to create new ideas, allowing for unexpected connections and the creation of verbal connections into imagery.

  • What does the speaker mean by 'the pyramid' in the context of design?

    -The speaker refers to the design process as a pyramid where the foundation consists of all the necessary information, and the smallest part at the top is the design or the end result, indicating that a lot of work goes into creating a concise final product.

  • How does the speaker refine the logo design?

    -The speaker refines the logo design by using Adobe Illustrator to grid it up, align elements, and make optical adjustments for balance and consistency in the typography.

  • What is the significance of the color purple in the brand identity created by the speaker?

    -The color purple is chosen for its association with creativity and a superior type of Instagram. Historically, purple was difficult to create and was associated with royalty, which adds to the brand's unique and premium feel.

  • How does the speaker use technology to expedite the creation of brand guidelines?

    -The speaker uses a Figma template from Assets 4D to create brand guidelines quickly. This template has pre-designed components that make it easy to input logos, colors, fonts, and other elements.

  • What is the final step the speaker takes before considering the project complete?

    -The final step is to go back to Gen Z, upload the completed files, and get paid for the work done.

  • What does the speaker suggest about the quality of work produced under time constraints?

    -The speaker suggests that while it's possible to produce work in a day with focused effort, the quality might not be as high as if more time was allowed for the project, reflecting the saying 'You can have it done right or done right now.'

Outlines

00:00

๐Ÿš€ Rapid Brand Identity Design Challenge

The speaker discusses the ambitious task of designing a complete brand identity, including logo, guidelines, business cards, and mock-ups, within a single day. This is a stark contrast to the usual month-long process involving extensive client meetings and strategic brand development. The challenge is accepted with enthusiasm, and the audience is introduced to the client's brief: designing for a portfolio website called 'Folio', which distinguishes itself by prohibiting generative AI from using its content for data modeling. The speaker highlights the use of Gen C, a tool for freelance designers to manage projects and ensure timely payments.

05:01

๐ŸŽจ Creative Process and Typography Exploration

The video script details the designer's process of creating a brand identity. It starts with mood boarding using Miller Note to generate a color scheme and vibe for the brand. The designer then conducts mind mapping to connect different ideas and words associated with the brand 'Folio', such as social media, licensing, and safety. The process continues with sketching on an iPad, focusing on typography to create a unique aesthetic for the logo. The designer refines the sketches, paying close attention to the details of the typography, such as the thickness of lines and the balance in the logo design.

10:02

โœ๏ธ Refining the Logo and Brand Color Scheme

The designer moves on to refining the logo further in Adobe Illustrator, focusing on the minutiae of typography and optical balancing. The process includes adjusting the thickness of lines and the counters of the letter 'O' to achieve a consistent and visually appealing logo. The script also describes the creation of a color scheme using a distinctive purple, chosen for its historical significance and association with creativity and superiority. The designer then uses a template to create brand guidelines, incorporating the logo, color scheme, and fonts, and outlines the do's and don'ts for maintaining brand consistency.

15:04

๐Ÿ“‘ Business Card Design and Project Completion

The designer proceeds to create a business card for the brand using a template, which is then intended to be editable in Canva for client use. Despite a minor setback with the font compatibility in Canva, the business card is completed, and the designer moves on to creating mock-ups. The final steps involve presenting the work to the client on Gen C, receiving approval, and getting paid. The video concludes with a reflection on the challenge, acknowledging that while the rushed process led to a completed project, allowing more time could have resulted in an even better brand concept.

Mindmap

Keywords

๐Ÿ’กBrand Identity

Brand identity refers to the visual and emotional elements that make up a brand's image, including its logo, color scheme, typography, and overall design elements. In the video, the creator challenges themselves to design a complete brand identity for a company called 'folio' within eight hours, which includes not only the logo but also brand guidelines, business cards, and mock-ups.

๐Ÿ’กGenerative AI

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as images, music, or text. In the context of the video, the 'folio' brand is unique because it does not use generative AI to scan and model data from the images uploaded to its portfolio website.

๐Ÿ’กApp Gen C

App Gen C is a tool mentioned in the video that assists freelance designers in managing their projects. It provides customizable project proposals, a client briefing system, project communication, and payment solutions all in one place. The creator uses this tool to streamline their design process and ensure timely payment for their work.

๐Ÿ’กMood Board

A mood board is a collection of images, textures, and colors that communicate a desired sensory and emotional feel for a project. In the video, the creator uses Miller Note to create a mood board for the 'folio' brand, which helps establish a color scheme and a certain 'vibe' or atmosphere for the brand.

๐Ÿ’กMind Mapping

Mind mapping is a brainstorming technique that involves organizing information in a radial, diagram-like structure. It's used to generate new ideas and establish connections between different concepts. The creator uses mind mapping to connect different imagery and words to create new ideas for the 'folio' brand identity.

๐Ÿ’กTypography

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible and appealing when displayed. In the video, the creator focuses on typography to create a unique aesthetic for the 'folio' logo, experimenting with different letter shapes and spacing to achieve a distinct look.

๐Ÿ’กBrand Guidelines

Brand guidelines are a set of rules and standards that ensure consistent use of a brand's visual elements. In the video, the creator discusses the importance of creating brand guidelines to prevent misuse of the brand's logo and to maintain consistency in how the brand is represented.

๐Ÿ’กMock-ups

Mock-ups are visual representations of how a design might look in a real-world application, such as on a business card or a website. The creator includes mock-ups in their brand identity design process to demonstrate how the 'folio' brand elements would appear in various contexts.

๐Ÿ’กColor Scheme

A color scheme is a set of colors that work well together and are used to create visual harmony in a design. The creator chooses a color scheme for the 'folio' brand that includes a distinctive purple, which is associated with creativity and a superior type of Instagram presence.

๐Ÿ’กBusiness Cards

Business cards are small cards printed with one's name, occupation, company, and contact information. They are shared during professional introductions or networking. In the video, the creator uses a template to design business cards for the 'folio' brand and discusses the process of making them editable in Canva.

๐Ÿ’กOptical Balancing

Optical balancing is the process of adjusting the visual elements of a design to achieve a pleasing and harmonious appearance, even if it means deviating from strict geometric accuracy. The creator applies optical balancing to the 'folio' logo, making minute adjustments to ensure that the logo looks aesthetically consistent and visually balanced.

Highlights

The challenge of designing a full brand identity, including logo, guidelines, business cards, and mock-ups, within 8 hours.

Using App Gen C, a tool for freelance designers to manage projects and get paid on time.

The client's brief for a logo design for 'Folio', a portfolio website with a unique stance against generative AI.

Utilizing Miller Note for creating mood boards to establish a color scheme and brand atmosphere.

The importance of understanding the target audience for the brand identity design process.

Mind mapping as a crucial step in connecting different ideas to generate new concepts for the brand identity.

Sketching ideas directly on an iPad using Procreate for efficiency and speed in the design process.

The decision-making process in design, refining sketches and selecting the most promising concepts.

Incorporating a star element into the logo design as a symbol that marries vintage and modern aesthetics.

Creating a consistent and balanced typography in the logo design by paying attention to details like crossbars and counters.

Using a pre-made template from Assets 4D to expedite the creation of brand guidelines.

The significance of including do's and don'ts in brand guidelines to protect the integrity of the logo and brand.

Generating a color scheme using a specific purple hue to convey creativity and a sense of superiority.

The strategic use of Canva for creating editable business card templates for clients.

Completing the project within the 8-hour timeframe, demonstrating the potential for efficiency in design work.

The reflection on the quality of work produced under time constraints versus the potential of more refined work with extended time.

The recommendation of Gen C for freelance designers struggling with client management and payment issues.

The call to action for viewers to subscribe, share, and comment on the video for more content and interaction.