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Logo Design: Authentic Charm for Sway Chavez

BY Christine Hughes, Wonderful Machine 22 June 2015
Intel, Case Studies, Design, Logos & Wordmarks

Hello, Wonderful Machine readers! After an extended writing hiatus spent focusing on our brand-new look and website, I’m back and excited to share what I’ve been working on with all of you. Way back in September, Sway Chavez and I teamed up to make some Logo magic, and—trust me—the result is worth waiting for. So without further ado, read on!

Getting Acquainted

Sway Chavez is a commercial photographer based in Sandy, Utah. He first reached out to us for some professional advice on his website, and of course we were more than happy to oblige. Sway started off with a Branding & Marketing Plan, evaluating where he wanted to go in his career and how his branding and marketing efforts could help get him there. This is a great first step for a lot of photographers since it’s hard to know what areas of your branding and marketing efforts need some attention until you look at the big picture. Through the BaM! Plan, we identified that one thing Sway needed was a new logo, something distinctive and memorable. With that in mind, he and I joined forces and got to work.

The Process

To kick off the project Sway filled out our branding questionnaire, which helped me get to know him as well as his stylistic preferences and vision for his brand. He wanted a logo that was simple and iconic, but also authentic. He told me about his passion for woodworking and the outdoors—especially camping, hiking and fly fishing (which really shows through in his portfolio).

Sway is also a unique case in that he’s a photographer with an amazing eye for design, so when I showed him my Pinterest board of brand inspiration he sent back one of his own right away. The inspiration he shared was on point and we were in complete agreement on the stylistic direction, which helped make the process even more seamless. Sway also mentioned that the logo needed to be versatile because he wanted to print it on leather and wood, which is a sure way straight to any designer’s heart.

Based on this discovery phase and all of the inspiration, I created a mood board to guide my logo exploration and dove into the process.

A Pinterest board full of pictures of logos that was used for inspiration for Sway Chavez's photographer logo
Inspiration for Sway’s new logo.

In the first round, I developed several solutions with a focus on simplicity, alluding to fly fishing and a healthy dose of the outdoors.

Five different  black and white designs for logos with the photographer's name and the use of arrows, and fishing hooks
Logo solutions from the 1st round.

Sway was excited about the solutions and said we were getting close. He shared some more specific thoughts on toning down the fly fishing references and nixing the arrows, along with some feedback on fonts. Based on our discussions, I refined the solutions and developed a second round of options to share. I love when it’s difficult for a client to choose between the solutions I present because they identify with more than one, and two of the options from this next round really had Sway torn.

Two logos, one in black with white outlining and the other white with black outline, with a visual of an arrow and fishing hook intersecting
Logo solutions from the 2nd round of logo exploration.

He liked the combination and style of icons in the solutions above, as well as the subtlety of the fishing line completing the mark’s inner border. These two variations also illustrate how the mark could have both a solid and outline version (which would look especially great in white over photos). Logos with initials and icons separated in a circle by an ‘X’ have become pretty popular, so it was fun for me to create a clever variation of that lock-up.

A primary logo solution from the 2nd round with a designated secondary mark
A primary logo solution from the 2nd round with a designated secondary mark

With this solution, it was the icons, badge arrangement and versatility of the containing shape that captivated Sway’s attention. The shape works both as the backdrop for the comprehensive logo, as well as a secondary monogram mark.

The Winners

We were both so pleased with these solutions that it became really difficult to choose. We liked the mark and variations so much from the circular options that we asked ourselves, do we really need to choose? With that I created an outline version of the logo and developed one more secondary logo. I fused the fishing line lock-up with the unique shape we’d grown so fond of, and we had our winner.

The finished identity system complete with a solid primary logo, 2 secondary logos and outline variation of each
The finished product is complete with a solid primary logo, 2 secondary logos and an outline variation of each

Color exploration was pretty straightforward, since Sway was already using an earthy palette of muted brown and orange that worked really well with his rustic sensibilities and portfolio. We made the addition of a sage green and a light grey for use in various marketing contexts, and I made sure to include the final logo files in white for photo overlay purposes.

Sway's secondary logo demonstrating his final color palette
Sway’s secondary logo demonstrates his final color palette

Wrapping Up

Once the project was complete and the final files sent, Sway told me what a great overall impression he had of WM, how pleased he was with his new look and that he couldn’t wait to implement it throughout his brand. He also shared this testimonial,

I am of the firm belief that your brand’s design is much more than a typeface and maybe some cool mark. A brand is your identity, it’s who you are, it’s the feeling people have around you, particularly in the case of creatives. I am a Peace Train humming, Bon Iver retouching, America (the group) road-tripper, Danny’s Song singing to my kid kinda guy. Melissa helped me convey that!

The outline version of Sway's logo over one of his images.
The outline version of Sway’s logo

Working with Sway was an absolute pleasure, and I’m hoping we’ll have the chance to collaborate again soon on some killer business cards! That’s all for now, folks, so be sure to take care and stay tuned!

Further Reading

Wonderful Machine: Marketing Mentor & Client Introductions: Brett Deering
Wonderful Machine: Brand Identity: Mulling over Stephanie Mullins
Wonderful Machine: Logo Design: Heather Perry


Need help with your Design? Reach out!

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