WebQuest Adventure Corporate Identity Design: Verizon

Introduction The cellular communication market has heated up in recent years, and combined with Verizon’s expansion into FiOS cable and Internet, the company has decided it needs a rebranding of its outdated logo (created in 2001). At a price tag of 3.25 million dollars, this is a huge contract. Members of the team that creates the selected logo would each receive 5% (or $162,500). Happy hunting!

Introduction cont. Your design team must begin work immediately. Research Verizon, analyzing its products, services and target audience. Then, review the fundamentals of corporate logo design, investigating the current trends in design styles and typography. Brainstorm ideas and formulate sketches of your stronger ones. Discuss these ideas with Verizon executives to get a clearer sense of design direction. Utilize this feedback to revise your ideas until they select a final design.

Project Requirements Verizon has requested a three-dimensional logo that is modern and cutting-edge. This contemporary approach matches the technological aspects of the highly competitive communications industry. Also, they want a typeface that is unique and custom graphically enhanced, They want a complete departure from their old logo, but want to stick to the red (Pantone 485C) and black (rich) color scheme. They want the logo to be a 3D design so the use of gradients and transparency have been approved.

1: Client Research Go to our client’s link below. Take a close look at the products and services Verizon Wireless offers its customers. Record any notes you think may spark styles or ideas you can incorporate later in your team’s brainstorming session.

2: Logo Fundamentals Take a moment to review the basics of logo design. The links below are subsequent articles from Dmitry Kirsanov’s site, Dmitry’s Design Lab. The first discusses logo media and concepts while the second analyzes strength of design and the creative process involved.

3: Design Trends The link below from Logo Lounge is a tremendous resource your team needs to take advantage of. On the main page you will see a link to current logo trends, including archives from previous years that are still en vogue. Although your designs do not have to mimic the trends outlined on this site, keep them in mind during your team’s design process.

4: Typography Font choice is paramount to a successful logo, helping to establish the overall style and mood. Weigh this decision carefully. The website, created by Princeton Architectural Press, reviews font structure and fundamentals.

5: Brainstorm Session Your team has assessed our client, reviewed the fundamentals of logo design, examined the latest trends, and analyzed the impact of typography. It’s time to pull it all together and start creating. Review the project requirements outlined earlier and collect your notes from the web resources provided. Together, discuss your thoughts and begin sketching various concepts. Be creative and collaborate. All designs must be team designs. There’s no such thing as “your” design.

6: Initial Design Meeting Meet with Verizon executives to discuss and explain your design ideas. Explain the thought process behind each. Listen to our client and answer any questions they may have. Help combine their ideas with yours into a cohesive design direction. The combination of elements from different concepts may lead to new and stronger ideas. Professionalism is extremely important, so conduct yourself in the highest manner at all times. Make sure you are all sharing in the conversation as equally as possible. Do not let one person dominate the conversation. Present all designs as a team, not individuals.

7: Brainstorm cont. Now, use what you learned from the initial client meeting to further revise and develop the concepts. Also, it is time to transform your team’s ideas from pencil to digital roughs. Certainly the focus is on what was discussed with the client, but new ideas you feel are strong and need to be shown to the client are fine as well. When complete, combine all the different concepts and versions into one document for easier client presentation. If you have not done so already, it is time to present font options to the client.

8: Follow-up Meeting Meet with Verizon and discuss your progress. At this point, design direction will most likely be narrowed down to only a few very solid designs. Be prepared to discuss and explain your typography selections.

9: Design Revisions Take the notes from your follow-up session with Verizon executives and refine your ideas even further. Create variations of each concept. For example, color changes, different fonts, different font locations, etc.

10: Revision Follow-up Meeting Pay another visit to the Verizon executives and present your refined ideas. Our client is paying top dollar for our services and expects top-notch results, so be ready for “nit-picking” edits on their end. Continue to explain the underlying thoughts behind your team’s decisions but be open to changes they might want to make. Remember, ultimately it’s their design, not ours. At this point, the client will probably make a final concept selection but will need variations in terms of color, fonts, composition, etc.

11: Finishing touches Consider the follow-up session’s feedback and make final adjustments. Submit the final file showing the logo in all color formats: black and white, grayscale, and color. The logos should be the exact same dimensions, stacked vertically and evenly spaced on a letter sized document. Save the files as: –Verizon Logo_Lastname.ai. –Verizon Logo_Lastname.pdf

12: Final Presentation Present your final design to the executives at Verizon. Answer any remaining questions they may have. Thank you for your team’s efforts on this important project.

13: Project Evaluation Now that all of the dust has settled, be prepared to openly discuss the entire process, from inception to completion, and the successes and difficulties you had along the way. At this time, you will also receive an evaluation of your teamwork, timeliness, communication with our client, and of course, your two final designs.