In this case study I'd like to give you an idea of what my creative process looks like when designing a logo / brand identity.
Learn more about my process here.
Karina Krafts was a good challenge for me. It was a rebrand, or a re-birth as I like to call it; the company was very well established (operating successfully since 1978, but with no change to the logo ... ever), so retaining the brand identity in the modern era was important.
Bold, Modern-classy, Connected, Packaging ...
These were 4 key words from the design brief. In all honesty, I didn’t get it right first time. Here is the first concept I went with:
Karina Krafts is a packaging company; it designs and manufactures ring, pen, coin boxes as well as stationary, sundries and presentation displays. I wanted to illustrate this. The client felt I had gone a little too modern on this first attempt. However, this “rejected” design would be used in a big way elsewhere in the business, which you can see further down.
Back to the sketchpad ...
I always start with my sketchpad, always. It allows me so much freedom to explore different ideas, so when the initial design was rejected, I went back to the sketchpad and pulled out one of the (many) monograms I had previously sketched. The second K was separate in the original, but when I vectorised it I connected them as per my word map in the design brief. Boom ... we had our logo!
Whether used in its lockup or logo mark form, the classy KK monogram packs a punch and is instantly recognisable.
Ring / coin / pen boxes: benchmark products that made Karina Krafts so successful over the years.
Karina Krafts ships packages worldwide, so custom packaging tape was an absolute must!
The KK monogram just felt right and Alex, the company Director, literally ran with it. We rebranded across the board together: a new website from the ground-up, email signatures, letterheads, retractable banners ... you name it, we did it.
As for the original box logo ...
“Click the box to find our latest offer inside!” The rejected design became Karina’s “What’s in the Box?” sub-project. WITB was used to leverage surprise special offers in their email automation - it created intrigue each time a new email was sent, and added a bit of fun playfulness to a company that was otherwise known for its sophisticated and professional nature. This was a win for everyone.
I'm proud of the finished design, and the feedback from some of Karina's longest-serving customers (dating back to the early 2000's) was excellent.
ELEVATE YOUR BRAND IDENTITY
The first step to elevating your brand is by telling me a bit about you and your company. Following this we will arrange an online Discovery Call so that we can discuss your project in more detail.
I can’t wait to hear your story!