Symetris Pilates

Logo step 1: Expanding the design

Before we started to try different variations I decided to fix a few parameters. We would use 100% pure process cyan as the colour. This was almost identical to the previous logo and would also help to keep things simple - when printing using a four-colour offset process there would never be any mixing of inks or discussions with a printer about how a colour should look. Process cyan was an absolutely simple reference to start from. I also decided to start exploring a concept using a coloured box, and also making the silhouette white (or transparent, depending where it would be used).

In the first set of variations I tried different sized boxes, different sized silhouettes, different positions, etc. The font was fixed to minimise the number of possible variations.

Box, position and size variations

By this time I had settled on the design with the figure on the left above the text, so the next step was to try different font variations. Selecting a typeface is never easy, but the goal was to choose something simple and clean, preferably a sans-serif typeface. During the font selection process I started to go off the idea of having the figure outside the box and moved it back inside the box when we had settled on the chosen font. Latin725 Md BT - used in the designs at the bottom of the page. You'll notice also that the sharp edges of the box were rounded in the next variations.

Typeface selection

Only after the process was complete and the business was running did I start to have some regrets about the chosen typeface. I had wanted a sans-serif font but had compromised on a light serif instead. Looking at the designs again, I would have chosen differently, but by then it was too late to change.

The next step was to examine the chosen typeface at different sizes to see how it looked. Some typefaces work well when viewed in small sizes, but not when blown up into a poster.

Checking the logo and text at different sizes

It was found that the kerning (spacing between individual letters) was not optimal so the entire text was converted to vectors (since it was not necessary to edit it anymore) and kerning carefully adjusted.

This produced the final version of the logo as seen below (both colour and black and white versions).

Final versions (almost)

» Read about the next stage in » "Logo step 2: Further experimentation"