Stay On Point
The Mission
Stay On Point is a new charity based in North London, helping young people get off the streets by offering multiple avenues of support - sports, education & music. I worked closely with the Founder and CEO to diagnose the charity’s position and provide an effective design solution. It was important for me to understand what I could do to make Stay On Point’s branding match the unique nature of the brand. During our strategy sessions, we were able to generate some inspiring ideas.
The Outcome
This was an inspirational project where I had the opportunity to use my skills and knowledge to diagnose Stay On Point’s needs, to help them address societal issues. I was given a tremendous amount of creative freedom so I could provide an effective solution. It has now been a few months since the completion of this project and Stay On Point have fully embraced their branding. They are currently working towards getting their first commercial property in North London, new merchandise and we are talking about a Stay On Point website.
Software Used
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
SERVICES
Branding
Identity Design
CLIENT
Stay On Point
DATE
2019-2020
overview
The Logotype & Icon
The final concept was a hexagonal monogram that reads “SOP.”. The hexagonal shape was chosen because of its sharp geometry and ability to double as a 3D box. The full stop allowed the icon to fill the hexagon and complete the desired effect.
The font for the logotype was a modification of a modern sans font called Garnent Capitals. I chose this font because the sharp geometric edges subconsciously re-enforce the “On Point” part of the brand name. The “O” in “point” was scaled down to become another point of sorts, this was referred to in the brand guidelines as the “RED DOT”, and is used to draw the audience’s attention to important objects throughout the identity system.
The Font & Colour
After identifying Stay On Point and their target audience, I was able to get a better understanding of what was needed for this project. My challenge then became finding a balance between the corporate aspects that all charities should have and the things that will make this brand different and attract the right audience.
It was clear the traditional charity look wasn’t going to appeal to Stay On Point’s target audience. Black as a background colour and overall dominant colour is very different to most charities and they were willing to take the risk of being different to achieve their goals as a charity.
details
Research
Research is a massive part of all my projects, and although this was a passion project, I still wanted to ensure I was creating a functional design solution.
I usually like creating mood boards for research, dragging and dropping images from google. When doing this, I am looking for working examples of simple, appropriate and functional branding for brand in their industry. It is also important for me to understand the audience of my client, with Scarlet being a B2B business, their new branding had to be able to thrive in that market.
The logotypes in this image are all companies in the same industry as Scarlet. They all use a bold, modern, geometric sans font that is legible, recognisable and memorable. Logotypes like these are timeless due to their simplicity.
PROCESS
Exploration and Modification in Illustrator
I jumped into Illustrator so I could quickly explore different solutions for the Scarlet logotype. From my research, I knew I wanted to use a modern serif type face much like other companies in the VFX industry.
I chose the Montserrat font because of is modern geometric qualities. I adjusted the kerning (space between the letters) to make the text more optically balanced and then added the responsive part of the logo. I done this by simply writing the name of the company division 3x smaller and right aligned under the logotype. Once i was happy with the design I started exploring brand colours.
PROCESS
Application
Overall, the final solution is simple but it was through the application of this branding that it started to take form.
Although this logotype was made as part of a design challenge, I still wanted to apply the branding to a range of mock-ups so I could prove to myself that the logotype was functional.
With Scarlet being a B2B visual effects company, I knew their branding should be presented using corporate mock-ups. My biggest challenge at this stage was getting the colour to match across all the images and even now I believe I could improve it a little.
PROCESS
Sketching
I’ve found that sketching is the fastest way for me to generate and visualise basic conceptual ideas. This project for Stay On Point was no different. I started by using grid paper to test shapes and styles of the monogram. The final concept was a hexagonal monogram that reads “SOP.”.
The hexagonal shape was chosen because of its sharp geometry and ability to double as a 3D box. The full stop allowed the icon to fill the hexagon and complete the desired effect.
Refining in Illustrator
When creating my sketch, I used grid paper to ensure the icon had even spacing, was legible, and functional at any scale. When I imported my sketch, I adjusted my grid lines inside of Illustrator to match those on the sketch, allowing me to achieve accurate results with my vector.
Because of the preciseness of Illustrator and my simple grid, I was able to recreate this icon using the line and shape builder tool only. You can see the result in this image. Once I had the refined icon, I started working on the horizontal and vertical pairings with the logotype and then finally the brand colours.
Application
Testing the functionality of a design is one of the most important things I can do as a designer. Not only does it allow me to see if the design truly works and if needed make any necessary changes, but it lets me show my client examples of what their brand may soon look like.
When selecting different mock-ups to use, I always try to select ones that make the most sense to the brand. With Stay On Point being a charity, I decided to use corporate mock-ups so I could prove that the branding would still work on these types of applications. The image above is of the Stay On Point icon on a building sign. Of all the mock-ups I provided to the Stay On Point team, this one excited them the most about their brand and the Charity’s future.
