A company contacted me; it was a producer of Cezerye (Cezerye is a Turkish sweet), a brand with a 30-year history of development that is well known to consumers both in its hometown of Mersin and beyond. The growing brand aims to enter the global market. That's why updating the logo and creating a cohesive brand image is the next mandatory step.
Although the brand has been successful, it was evident that design played no role in it. Each store was decorated at the owner's discretion, ignoring in every way not only branding requirements but also elementary composition rules. Such a problem is not an exception but rather a rule for 90% of small and medium-sized business representatives in all countries, regardless of the level of development.
The business owner was aware of branding issues and had repeatedly asked the designers to update the image, but in essence, the new works were identical to the current version.
One of the main requests a client makes in the process of requesting a logo is inserting the portrait of the brand owner Confectioner of Kadir into the design. The customer didn't have a precise understanding of the drawing style, so it was decided to create several options: graphic, engraving imitation, and my favorite portrait in a realistic style.
It was obvious that the portrait was just a part of the logo. A handwritten lettering of the name "Cezeriyeci Kadir" was also required. An inscription with standard fonts wouldn't cope with this task. After presenting the sketches, the client chose one of the options, and in the final version, I complemented it with ornaments in Iznik style (traditional Ottoman ornamentation).
The logo had a unique and complex appearance, yet it could be easily reproduced on any surface. It looked equally good on both light and dark backgrounds. Among the presented portrait options, the engraved style was chosen. Ten days after the work started, the project was completed and delivered to the client.
This post doesn't include beautiful mock-ups, but it tells a real story about a problem and how it was solved. The second stage also plans to update the design of the entire product line and create a detailed brand book. It's nice that the client found me via the Behance website. If you're reading this post and facing a similar problem, feel free to contact me. With nearly 30 years of experience, I work remotely with clients from 50 countries around the world, and your brand may be the next project.
