Do you have a client with a secret?
Maybe they have a process behind their facade that deserves exposure.
Or maybe they're firm believers that beauty is more than skin deep.
Logos that incorporate this simple peeling effect always make me look twice.
I know, if you're like me, you want to
reach in and pull that label all the way off.
And if you can have that kind of an effect
on others, you have quite the command of the consumer.
Usually a bit of a shadow on these gives them a trompe
l'oeil effect that guarantees the consumer of a promise to be revealed.
It could be an inner value or underlying trait, that makes your client unique.
DC comics uses this technique with a peeling D
exposing a glimpse of their various superheroes beneath each.
I especially think it's appropriate, as
many superheroes cloak their character behind the
guise of a common citizen when not engaged in, say, saving the earth.
Folded strips of paper or even origami both
serve an important role in dimensional logo design.
Since they are constructed of a flat substance to start with it's
more conceivable that the eye can be fooled to believe they actually exist.
A strip of paper is a perfect tool for demonstrating
a process which has both a beginning and an end.
Because these folded designs could conceivably exist, the
consumer is more likely to actually engage in
tracing the shape with their mind or even
folding it themselves with a scrap of paper.
These marks define a company that sees the potential in a common commodity
and just discovered a way to alter it to create a product of even greater value.
I love the use of orbs as a logo.
And here's why, occasionally I may be meeting with
a client that's explaining a very complex process to me.
It's important to their business, but frankly it may be so
far beyond me that my eyes glaze over in hopeless resignation.
I can usually tell that this is not the first time they've seen that look.
Especially with technology firms they may wish they could just turn to the
consumer and say you know, it's not imperative that you know how it works.
The important thing is that you know that it does work.
These crystal balls had that very same kind of magic contained in them.
It may be a bit mysterious but because of
the perfection and the clarity of the sold orb
I'm willing to place my faith in it and
know that it will perform the magic as promised.
And finally carved orbs that don't seem to have all the same magic.
But they define a process by slowly revealing a complex interior.
Consider a client of yours that wants to share their
inner workings because they create solutions with a proprietary process.
We may represent that client with a sphere,
which represents perfection or purity of shape and dimension.
But unlike the crystal orbs, we can only demonstrate,
a revelation by removing or carving away the exterior.
The balance here, is to remove, just enough of the exterior.
To maintain external perfection, while exposing, the internal process.
I've always appreciated the Sony Ericsson solution because I know
that they're involved with an enormous number of technical products.
It shows perfection, clarity and diversity of materials and technical prowess.
Yet it still conveys a level of mystery that
are willing to associate with when buying their products.
But most important, I'd like to actually pick up the logo
and hold it in my hands because it commands my attention.
Because like other marks we've discussed, this
logo lives just on the edge of reality.