Design board writing for the pitch studio brief

 Design board writing for the pitch studio brief 

RESEARCH 

To contextually inform the logo concept for CloseUp, the visual branding for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival (Fig.1) was an example that took a symbolic approach to brand identity. Created by Studio Lowrie, the logo design focuses on the concept of light, relating to a film projector; the minimal yet abstract nature of the design informed how the CloseUp logo used simple shapes to communicate the ethos of the pitch. Akin to the focus of CloseUp, Studio Lowries’ branding celebrates the connectivity within the film industry, which relates to the message of community integrated into CloseUp. This concept of focusing on the independent film community in Leeds also was a key focus for CloseUp, which was informed by the fact that Sundance Film Festival is an entirely non-profit organisation; in light of this, the CloseUp pitch highlighted the importance of giving back to the film community in Leeds, by donating all profits to Hyde Park Picture House. 

A crucial aspect of the CloseUp pitch was also the tone of voice created by the logo, as it needed to be minimal yet explore the themes of cinema and connectivity. The CloseUp logo concept was largely informed by the visual branding for Mubi (Fig.2), an online film streaming service that focuses on bringing independent films to the masses. Created by Spin Studios, the branding for Mubi focused on sophisticated and clean shapes; the concept behind this was to provide creative freedom in the sense that the logo has versatility. Inspired by this element of flexibility, the CloseUp logo adopts the same approach of using simple shapes to communicate a connection to film; these shapes are versatile in the sense that they can be applied as motifs throughout the CloseUp visual identity. 

INITIAL IDEAS

(Fig.1) explores the initial experimentation for the CloseUp logo, using hand drawn letterforms to play with shapes and form; the concept behind this design focused on celebrating the individuality within the film industry, through the inclusion of various shapes and playful letterforms. Despite this, the limitations of this concept was that the tone of voice felt too busy and chaotic, meaning the logo wouldn’t really work in different settings; the legibility of the logo was also essential, as it needed to be clean and easily accessible. 

With more of an abstract approach to the logo design, (Fig.2) uses distorted letterforms to visually represent the idea of CloseUp; tightly packed together, the ‘C’ and ‘U’ shape communicate the concept of bringing people together through film, thus celebrating the film community in Leeds. Again, the issue with this logo concept was that although it worked conceptually, visually the design felt overcrowded and too abstract. 

An alternative initial idea for the CloseUp logo was a custom typeface design; (Fig.3) communicates the idea of bringing people together through tightly packed glyphs and rounded san serifs. The typeface itself had a nice playful atmosphere to it, and peer feedback suggested that this element was its’ main strong point. However, peer feedback also highlighted how the typeface didn’t really symbolise anything about CloseUp, which restricted it by not relating to film in any way. 

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

In light of peer feedback on the initial logo concepts for CloseUp, the design development focused more on maintaining legibility through minimal design. (Fig.1) improves the initial custom typeface design by reinforcing its legibility with a black background. Despite having a fun and playful sense of voice, the outcome still lacked a strong conceptual connection to the film industry, which definitely limited its impact in regards to the audience. 

With a much more clean and sophisticated look, (Fig.2) showcases the major development within the logo design process; integrating abstract shapes into the design, this logo concept uses semi-circle glyphs to form the letters ‘C’ and ‘U’. The glyphs also tied the logo into the semantics surrounding film, as peer feedback noted how the circle shapes were somewhat reminiscent of a camera lense. Due to this, the abstract shape element of the logo design was definitely a step in the right direction; the main limitation of this outcome in particular was that the type setting felt a bit separate from the symbol, so the logo lacked a sense of cohesiveness.  

In response to this reflection, (Fig.3) is the refined, final outcome of the CloseUp logo; with more of a focus on the abstract shapes within its visual hierarchy, the design feels somewhat playful and intriguing, which is juxtaposed by the minimal and more sophisticated inclusion of Helvetica that grounds the design. The main consensus in terms of peer feedback was that this concept was definitely the strongest outcome, as it maintained a balance between playful symbolism and clean minimal components; this further contributed to its versatility as a logo, as it needed to be easily applied to other branding elements of CloseUp.