Rodrigo Ceballos came to Wonderful Machine looking to refresh his logo and develop a new brand identity for his marketing materials. Rodrigo’s work is elegantly executed and meticulously styled, so we wanted to work closely with Rodrigo to create a custom logo that matched the sophistication of his brand. Senior Marketing Consultant Erika Blatt and I coordinated this process with Rodrigo to make sure we were getting his input every step of the way.
While discussing the design with Rodrigo, we found that he was looking for a logo that was minimal, geometric, and edgy, much like his work. Rodrigo incorporates a lot of purple and navy-blue color themes throughout his photographs, so we felt this should be represented in his logo. Once we agreed on the creative process and gathered all the vital information, we began the design phase.
In our first round of logo designs, I presented Rodrigo with four concepts, each including a horizontal and a vertical version, to choose from:
Concept A:
Concept A explores the geometric relationship between Rodrigo’s initials “RC.” This concept really puts the focus on the monogram and explores the relationship between the “C” and a circle.
Concept B:
Concept B similarly explores the geometric relationship between his initials in a focused monogram, but the C interacts more directly with the “R.” In each of these designs, I explored the positive and negative space of black and white coloring.
Concept C:
Concept C shifts the focus from the monogram to the name as a whole. This concept also explores the relationship between black and white, and negative space. In this design, I added a small cut out to each “O,” playfully mimicking the “C” in his name.
Concept D:
For my final concept, I shifted the design back to the monogram, but this time directly connecting the “R” and “C.” This version differs typographically from the others and includes some lighter line weights.
After reviewing with Erika and feeling confident that these concepts matched the clean, geometric, sophisticated style that Rodrigo was looking for, we sent them along to him for review. Rodrigo immediately felt drawn to Concept C but had some feedback for us as well. Rodrigo found aspects within each version of Concept C and asked if we could combine them into one logo. He loved the small cut outs within the “O” as well as the geometry of the diagonal line and the addition of the word Photographer. By the next round of design, we combined these elements, made adjustments, and explored color to reach his final logo.
Final Logo Horizontal
Final Logo Vertical
Final Logo Stand Alone Mark
Rodrigo was thrilled with his logo, and we were able to move on to building up his brand identity. In developing his brand identity, we provided Rodrigo examples of how to incorporate his new horizontal, vertical, and stamp logos. We then established a new color palette that would pull together his entire brand and help Rodrigo make sure all of his branded materials are elegant and consistent.
Rodrigo has since implemented his new logo and brand identity on his website and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the turnout. We truly feel this logo matches his sophisticated work and we can’t wait to see the logos come to life on future branded materials.
As a photographer, I really respect other creative professionals’ opinions, decisions, and direction. I’ve gotten to trust the expertise and skill of others just as others have gotten to trust my own. I had never been happy with the look and feel of my branding and it lacked the edge that I’d like to think my photographs have. It was time to call in an expert. The first and last thoughts were to do it with Wonderful Machine and Erika and Lyndsey took great care of me. They took the time to ask very poignant questions. They forced me to think – really think – about who is behind the camera. Every step of the way, I could feel that we were inching closer to an image that I would love, display proudly, and build around for a long time to come. They delivered in great fashion. WM is lucky to have truly talented artists supporting us.
For more information about our design services, please call 610.260.0200 or reach out to us.