This project focused on the development of a brand and what defines a brand's visual design language. The goal of the project was to select an industry and conduct research on existing brands within that industry.
After carving out an opportunity for a new brand to emerge within that industry, we were then instructed to create a pyramid that defines the brand's core values all the way up to its signature elements.
To tie this all together, I created an abstract form icon that embodies my brand's characteristics in a singular sculptural form.
There appeared to be quite a lot of white space in the fashionable/adventurous quadrant, primarily due to the fact that many people do not think of luggage as more than a functional way of carrying belongings from one place to another. As a result, I honed in on creating a brand centered around stylish and eye-catching luggage.
This led me to creating a brand that stands on pillars of discovery, individuality, and authenticity. Luggage allows us to discover new things, and it should be treated as a piece of fashion that lends itself to self-expression.
From there, I searched for inspiration as to how I should execute the graphical and signature elements of my brand. I looked toward the works of abstract expressionist Mark Rothko as well as pop artist Roy Lichtenstein as the primary influences of the style of my brand, with other references to the neon lights of cities like Hong Kong and Shibuya. I also became quite intrigued by the symbolism of the airplane window being an intermediary between the traveler and the destination.
I started to experiment graphically with the logo as well as the name of the brand, which eventually became Solo. I decided upon this name as it enforces the sense of individuality that I was trying to embed within my brand's language as well as for its uses by pilots (solo flight).
The logo is meant to be a bold, recognizable statement. With vibrant colors like cyan, magenta, and yellow (those used in printing, which many pop artists utilized), the logo would be quite difficult to miss. I also embedded the symbolism of the airplane window by making the 'O's in the logo resemble them.
Afterward, I began working on teasing out signature elements of my brand's visual design language through sketch development of the form icon.
A key signature element is the use of a 5:7 width to height ratio, with subdivisions of that ratio used in other elements of the icon such as the handles and the clasps. Additionally, the three bright colors mentioned earlier make a bold impact and lend themselves to colorful self-expression. Additionally, the brushed metal accents of the parting line and handles adds the overall clean and seamless aesthetic of the icon.
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