Goal:

My job was to create a branded logo for an early-stage start up in Ed-tech. Later named "Pigeonaide" in the design process, their mission is to reduce communication friction between elementary school teachers and parents using mobile technology. The client wanted a symbol of a "passenger pigeon" that appeared approachable but modern. At our initial meeting, the client provided a preliminary research deck on brand look and feel.

Client Brief & Research:

After examining the client deck, I looked up additional pigeon-based symbols created previously. I took note of specific design details which may negatively influence the symbol to look like incorrect bird species, namely a seagull or a dove. The final logo would require the right balance of detail and simplicity.

Round 1 : Concept Sketching

For the first round of logo exploration; I decided on presenting a series of rough sketches to the client. I experimented with concepts combining the bird with pages (reminiscent of class room textbooks or homework sheets), and a "messenger pigeon" carrying a envelope. With the rudimentary design reduced to its essence, the client could quickly decide on concept over execution. Interestingly, the client chose the least complicated design in profile for its "friendliness."

Side note: to prevent unconscious user-bias I avoid using numerical rankings when presenting my concepts and opt for an alphabetical "multiple choice" presentation.

Desirability Testing with Users

With the initial profile established; I iterated a series of roughly a dozen sketches and presented the options to some elementary teachers for dot voting (N=3). I proposed the question, "Which design would you mind seeing repeatedly?" It it important for a good design to remain appealing to the target audience especially when they have to see it multiple times during their workday in a digital application. I found this exercise incredibly informative in the design process, and even liberating from artistic self-doubt.

Round 2: Vectorizing Design

Armed with design validation based on primary user-data, I kept the design profile consistent while differentiating only with the marking details. The client chose a combination of options, referring back to one of my initial rough sketches.

Round 3: Design Refinement

With clear design direction based on feedback from the client and target user-base, I cleaned up the design while working on the mono-chrome and full color designs simultaneously. At this point the client had produced a name for their start-up, and I included a dozen font treatments alongside the final logo.

Side-note: I feel it's especially important to include a color palette breakdown of the initial artwork for a successful design system in the future.

Final Design

The client was very pleased with the final design, and I look forward to their start-up's future success.