HotBox Studios | Logo design process
I have recently completed a project working on a new logo for a re-launch based in the UK. The aim is to follow my design process from start to finish and to serve as interesting reading for the design community.
HotBox Studios is a company based in South East England specialising in creative animation and design. They have evolved their business the past 5 years and their previous logo can be seen below. After this initial period the have decided to re-launch the brad and approached me to create a unique logo for them in order to facilitate this. They felt that their previous logo did not represent their creative work correctly and needed a fresh and memorable logo to capture their creative animation and design work. I was approached by them to provide a logo comprising a main symbol which worked both with the company name and on it’s own, and was to be memorable and easily recognisable for their relaunch of their website for the end of this January.
Drafting and Development
Initially I thought that the best way to create a memorable logo was to utilise the monogram or initials of the company. The first idea was to focus on the ‘H’ of HotBox and the design below was the result. I thought to use the cube or box to create the ‘H’ however this idea did not fit entirely with the brief and, whilst it somewhat represented the name, I found it did not represent the industry enough.
I continued my brainstorming and research and found inspiration within undeveloped film. Below you can find my initial preparatory brainstorm sketches. Taking this inspiration, I wanted to incorporate not just the ‘H’ but also the ‘B’, as this would make for a stronger monogram. From early on in the project, the letter ‘H’ and ‘B’ had inspired me. The ‘H’ had a clear path towards something animation related with its natural form being not unlike that of a section of film reel. Thus, more time was spent integrating the ‘B’. It was after many attempts that I was able to fuse both letters and also capture the very nature of their industry.
After deciding on the rough idea, I started to finalise the concept by first calculating the mathematical elements of the symbol, then re-drafting, tidying up and transferring my sketches to the Dot Grid Book. This is the perfect medium for geometric based design as its light geometric dot matrix serves as a subtle guide for sketches. Below you will see the initial dot grid image.
I now had the logo planned and was able to bring it into a digital medium. This dot grid image was scanned into the computer, as below, in order for me to alter and achieve the final touches using the software.
Using Adobe Illustrator, I was able to rapidly recreate the layout in mathematical harmony. This is of course a lot faster process when the initial designs have been plotted on paper therefore I would stress that hand sketching is an essential part to any design, as you are able to gain an idea of the final aim prior to utilising software to reach it. Plus, it brings fresh perspective when you are away from the computer and can allow your ideas to flow freely.
After presentation to the client. They were happy with the ‘H’ and ‘B’ fusion with the context of the film reel section therefore it was time to add the specifics. As the typeface and colouration were predetermined within the brief, I was able to concentrate on a few options before the finalisation of the concept.
In the end, the below choice was made and their new identity will be in use shortly on their redesigned website. Re-launch is set for the end of January therefore be sure to check it out.
I wish HotBox Studios all the best for a successful re-launch and hope that you have enjoyed this article.
As always, any constructive criticism and comments from readers is valued so please feel free to offer any thoughts you may have on this design and the article.
33 comments on this entry so far
congratz mate , I’m really diggin’ it. Wish you all the best
Cris
Cris Labno, on January 22nd, 2009
Pretty neat.
A question- how did you zero in on the font? In fact how do you usually zero in on the fonts?
I went through all your posts, but couldn’t found much on the text fonts.
Love to have your insights on fonts of famous ‘text only’ logos. see if its doable.
Mridul
Mridul, on January 23rd, 2009
Beautiful logo. I like your first attempt as well… i like how it’s a box and an h, but you’ve also tied the typography into it (same thickness in your box and your font). Very nice.
kat neville, on January 23rd, 2009
Very nice! I loved your sketches!
But, I have a question: What typeface do you used?
Daniel Campos, on January 23rd, 2009
I love seeing the process behind logo designs. I, too, start by sketching even my wildest ideas and this process makes it so much easier to transfer to Illustrator later.
I think the first attempt looks a little like a chair which is also a good image for a studio. :) Well done.
leandra, on January 23rd, 2009
I like the mark - a lot. It would be interesting to know how you came to use that font.
I probably would have gone sans-serif for that kind of mark, but if the clients happy - then it’s a winner.
Abbas, on January 23rd, 2009
Very nice work on this project David. Thanks for sharing the process
Nico, on January 23rd, 2009
Thanks for sharing your process.
Nik, on January 24th, 2009
Great work David,simple but on target.
I was thinking about getting a dot-matrix book but being in Aus it was going to cost too much…made my own in illustrator and printed off a few.
Bye the way what is that font?...me likey:)
Fabian, on January 24th, 2009
Great Logo David, and it’s great to see your logo design process. I like to sketch on paper first too. There’s no substitute for paper and ink for getting the ideas flowing.
Andrew Kelsall, on January 25th, 2009
I really love how the final piece looks like a piece of film. You didn’t just capture the initials but the industry as well.
There’s great usage of whitespace which does 2 things: makes it dynamic, keeps it simple.
Excellent piece of design.
Damian Madray, on January 27th, 2009
Brilliant and very inspiring David!
It’s always good to see a great designer’s process, and this is no exception. The final result is beautifully done and the way you got there is very inspirational.
Tanner Christensen, on January 28th, 2009
Nice work. Love the illustrated process. Lubalin Graph is the font you used right? Always nice to see those oldies make a come back:)
Christian Cimon, on January 28th, 2009
Hi David,
Just a question about what you said about the typeface: did they specify the exact typeface to use, or simple asked for a specific style?
Great work.
Pat, on January 28th, 2009
Thanks for sharing your process with us, David. Keep up all the great work!
Kevin Burr, on January 28th, 2009
Very nice work! I really like the final solution. I can clearly see both the h and the b. I love seeing the design process behind great solutions. Thank you for sharing
Grant, on January 29th, 2009
Great mark and fun to see your process. Thanks!
Grant, on January 29th, 2009
A huge improvement on the previous logo. It definitely has a very create feel about it.
Thanks for sharing the design process too - it’s inspiring to see how you came up with the final design.
rebecca, on January 29th, 2009
I think its pretty cool.
The film frame represents the industry,
the H & B well married,
and it would have made it all the more perfect if the logo(HB) was boxed up in a cube with a vertex facing us - that’s really animatable to the clients taste, its what they do.
The part I like most is where he says we need to get organic in our designing - as it turns out I just wrote a similar article; http://laolusrael.blogspot.com/2009/01/pick-your-pencil-dust-your-pad.html
Seun Lawal, on January 31st, 2009
Really interesting work….i have starting my own architecture/interior practice in New Delhi ....and i was actually thinking of logo for cubanheat Design ...and i read the way you brainstormed…its amazing..i am a startup…otherwise i would have taken your help…Thanks for getting connected ..take care..looking forward to your tweets and blog entries .
shubh, on February 1st, 2009
A great solution. I think it’s interesting that although your first attempt at the logo was a great logo in itself, you managed to look past that and see that it wasn’t right for the bright. I think your second solution works much better. A strong logo.
Neil Martin, on February 2nd, 2009
Out of curiosity, what tools do you use to make a logo? Just photoshop/illustrator or do you draw something and then scan it?
Cavorca, on February 3rd, 2009
Hotbox studios has created some really good websites. They have some of the biggest firms as their clients
San Francisco Web design, on February 6th, 2009
Great logo David. Simple, scalable, memorable and a nice monogram. I am actually a fan of slab serif fonts, when they are used in a suitable mannor anyway. Think the typeface in this case does actually compliment the mark, and its nice to vary from using sans serif all the time.
Something quite cool that I found out about your mark: If you upload the mark to ‘what the font’ (found on myfonts.com) the software actually recognises it as the letter H. Nice!
Andy Griffiths, on February 6th, 2009
Great final outcome David, really effective design and memorable, its good to see the workings as well. I really must keep and include my workings in on my next identity work, its really very interesting to see.
Gareth Coxon - Dot Design, on February 17th, 2009
That’s a truly genius simple yet effective logo, David. Yet I can’t help but wonder if there was a way for ‘s’ (for ‘studios’)to find its way to the logo. I think that the letter’s curves could be somewhat beneficial.
Stella Chen - Promotional Products, on February 18th, 2009
Hello and thanks to all for their positive feedback. Much appreciated.
Daniel Campos: The typeface was rockwell regular and light. :-)
David Pache, on March 1st, 2009
The simple ones are always the best. Great logo.
John MacMonagle, on March 4th, 2009
Great job! I love that it looks like a piece of film and it contains their letters. Wonderful. A nice balance of form and content.
James Kurtz III, on April 1st, 2009
不错，I LOVE “H”
sima, on April 2nd, 2009
Inspiring work! I really like the outcome it was brilliant..
info@twistedfrog.com, on April 20th, 2009
Brilliant as usual, really an oldskool one, in all the good traditions of logo design, monochromatic… what else :) And typeface is a very good (and rare recently) choice, Rockwell or similar slab.
Neogrey, on May 2nd, 2009
Dear All - thank you for some positive feedback and of course taking the time to read. Glad you enjoyed.
Cavorca - apologies for not including a response to your question in my last comment. I usually sketch my hand before drawing accurately in the dot grid book and scanning this into the software. I am able to then define and finalise the elements using Adobe Illustrator. Thanks.
David Pache, on May 3rd, 2009