Design Request
Create a logo and develop a brand style for a startup/small business, with demographics consisting of teenagers and young adults in an urban, trendy district setting, with key emphasis placed on athletic-leisure and fashionable sporting apparel.
Use the University of Louisville (Cardinals) mascot logo, and artist Kanye West's Yeezy fashion label (shoes) for brand inspiration.
Challenge
Upon researching existing shoe brands and show supply companies, I created a few design styles that reflected an original icon/identity that fits the core demographic, and lends enough information about the product/model, while still satisfying the client's affinity for an already-licensed (and nationally-known) University athletic brand. The logo was created in a way that would lead way towards marketing within the apparel industry - something the client mentioned in our meeting.
The initial (above) concept was rejected, as the client wanted more implication of an actual shoe for the second concept.
This created a difficult challenge, as the core build was heavily focused on the University of Louisville Cardinal concept.
Solution
My solution was to abandon all "cardinal" illustration styles to avoid any and all legality/confusion, and pivot to a more-recognizable shoe shape/illustration, which was another huge talking point in our initial meeting.
Another important factor was to create some high-quality digital renderings, and present the new/original concept in a mockup, in hopes that the client could begin to see the benefit of creating an original brand, as opposed to one that could easily be mistaken for another entity.
This seemed to please the client, as the subsequent, newly-designed concept was modeled in full-color, with a custom full-page layout design look-book for the client's awareness and full-scale effect:
Breakthrough
The client really seemed to gravitate toward the new concept, and requested a further exploration of a an accompanying wordmark to complete the brand identity.
Using some initial draft concepts, I was able to finalize a logo identity that pleased the client, and attracts the core demographic.
