We’re covering a very familiar topic — the design process. We went back and forth answering each other’s questions, describing the process for our last project at Hexanine, a logo for BevReview. Think of it as the teaser before the big reveal of the final design. Brigid and I each took turns asking the other questions, and responding in turn. Read on to find out what our process was and what we learned along the way.

Can you explain the brief for this project?

Chris: BevReview is a beverage blog ran by Steve Tanner. His blog discusses everything from taste and nutrition facts, to the packaging of the drinks. All of the BevReview posts focus on non-alcoholic beverages. Brigid and I took on the task to create a logo that shows BevReview as a fun and credible resource in the beverage industry. The goal was to give BevReview a logo that will stay true to it’s brand.

Would you like to talk about what kind or research we did for the project?

Brigid: I researched the company, industry, and their competitors to find out who they are and their target audience. From our initial meeting with BevReview, I was handed the task of focusing on the concept of rating. So, I began by writing words that could be used to describe or symbolize rating, such as, checks, thumbs up and down, scale, arrows, ranking using bottles or caps, etc.

What was the concept you worked on and what steps did you take?

Chris: Based on our meeting with BevReview, I began sketches on a bottle that was fluid and organic in style. I started by looking at a lot of old bottle forms and drew many iterations of bubbles and bottles together. I drew upon the old glass bottles for inspiration. A lot of combinations were created as I started emphasizing the contour of the bottle. Further along the way, I began incorporating a check mark to emphasize BevReview’s rating. We then showed Tim the sketches and of took the rating concept further. Based off of our sketches, we started working with a bottle and meshing it with a “thumbs up” to enforce the idea of a rating or approval.

What are your thoughts on how the sketching went for our thumb and bottle concept?

Brigid: I began sketching based on the words created during mind mapping, rating, thumbs up/down, checks, etc. And like Chris said, we decided on pursuing the sketch that incorporated a thumbs up with the shape of the bottle. So, we began with numerous sketches and then narrowed in on this one execution. With this execution in mind we then went on to the computer with more iterations.

Walk us through your process on developing the logo further once you took it to the computer.

Chris: For the computer iterations, I focused on how the bottle/thumb mark would look incorporated with various typefaces. I searched for typefaces that reflected BevReview’s brand characteristics. I also focused on how we could make the mark look more like a bottle and not just a hand. The infusion of shadowing was involved. The goal was to make the thumb fully integrated within the curves of the bottle. The typeface chosen had to compliment the style and curvature of the bottle as well.

Could you walk us through the color exploration for the logo and what you did to take the logo to the next level?

Brigid: Once I brought the logo into the computer, I focused first on getting the shape down first and then moved on to the color. For the colors, I looked at ones that were bright and appeared tasty. An important role for the variation of colors was used in creating the highlights, shadows, and midtones. So, by using large chunks of colors, I could create dimension and separation of the liquid within the bottle, as you can below in some of my many logo variations.. I believe this technique helped create a more finished look.

To sum it up, what have you learned from this process that’s new or maybe familiar, but valuable to know?

Chris: One of the great things I learned was the importance of exploration. Brigid and I both pushed ourselves through this process in concept and in technique. We could have stopped after one round of sketches, but we wouldn’t have been able to develop the ideas that we took to completion. From our sketches to putting our designs to the computer, multiple variations were explored. Fonts, colors and scale were looked at with a critical eye. Many things are to be considered. Was it memorable, scalable, and authentic? We stressed the importance of making a logo that would stand on it’s own against other competitors.

Note: The final BevReview logo will be showing up here on the blog soon.

Maybe it was the smell of the dark room, the process, or possibly my teacher. Whatever the medium, I knew I wanted to become a designer during a photography class in college. Mainly it was my discovery of Photoshop in this class that got me immediately hooked. It was just my luck that I only became aware of the design tools towards the end of my college career.

In past jobs I’ve always had to solve problems. But in design, I actually care—passionately—about those problems and solutions. So much so, that it’s a sort of obsession engulfing any kind of life outside it. There’s a lot more to design than making things look pretty. It’s strategic and conceptual.

From all the challenges I’ve had and continue to have, the main constant is that I try and come up with a design solution that has a strong concept. This takes practice, so my current design stage right now is Student/Sponge. While attending classes at Chicago Portfolio School, I also try to soak in events, join groups, and meet/listen to as many people as I can without going completely mad.

I’ll be exploring and sharing my experiences in the transition from book to street smarts, using what I know from school and applying it—or rather, having it evolve, to my working experience with Hexanine. I hope to come out knowing the art of balancing business and design, experiencing the challenges of having to compromise while still creating quality design solutions.