Blog everywhere...

I just downloaded blogpress for my phone and it's alright. Now I can post stuff the moment I think of it or the moment I'm inspired by something... I can blog while I'm in traffic! This is so kewl!!! :)

New Project!!!

It's been a while since i've posted something here. Well, it's about time that I start to do this again. We've just received our assignment for the next semester. I think It'll be fun to rebrand a small business. I ended up choosing one of my favorite cafés. It is located in Grant Park and I fell in love with it the moment I walked in about a year ago. They have an amazing concept, but it was executed poorly. Since I always trust my stomach... I think this place will be an amazing choice. Plus, It'll give me an excuse to go back every week and gather inspiration along with a cappuccino and a B.L.F.G.T.

So here are the questions that we had to answer...

A. Who are your company choices (have 2-3 for us to discuss)?

Helmet Salon in Midtown, Little Five Pizza, or Solstice Café in Grant Park. I ended up choosing Solstice Café because I'm just drawn to coffee houses.

Once we decide upon one, you must answer the following questions:

B. What do they do?

They serve coffee, drinks, and food in a vintage relaxing candlelit atmosphere while promoting, selling, and supporting local art. The interior has a lot of charm and there are plenty of couches to sit on. It makes it seem like you're just chilling at home with friends. It's a very relaxing atmosphere and the staff tend to be really quirky and friendly.

C. Who is their main competition?

Other café's like java monkey in decatur and carol street café in cabbagetown. I've noticed that there are a lot of places that offer that coffee, bar, and art combo.

D. What strengths do they have as a brand and as a company?

Their current logo has a blast of personality and the current logo with the sun and the mug is a good representation of what the are all about. They make me HAPPY with their good food, good music, and good coffee. Their drinks from the bar aren't that bad either.

E. In what areas do they need improvement?

It's very fun, but it lacks professionalism. I'm all for the relaxed cartoon-like feeling, but this logo looks like a five year old slapped something down in a few minutes. I have no problem with their logo, but I feel that I could be cleaned up and made to look a little more upscale. The café has a lot of charm and character. I just think that they could've brought some of that charm to the logo.

F. List five buzzwords that describe the brand as it is, and then five words to describe the brand as you wish to redesign it.

Currently, it is artsy, indie, vintage, bohemian, and playful.

I want it to become clean and minimal giving off an aura of relaxation, but still retain it's vintage appeal, bohemian roots, and indie vibe. I know, that was probably six words.

G. Who is their target audience? Of course you want your branding to appeal to as wide of a demographic as possible, but let us know who generally is their most common customer, in terms of age range, gender, interests, income, level of education, and any other info you think helps define your specific audience.

The typical person who goes there is probably a person with an artistic or creative background between the ages of 18 and 30. The amount of art on the walls suggest that their patrons have a profession or an interest in the arts. Their income level is modest and they are most likely to be a graduate of either a college or trade school in some creative field such as hair styling or graphic design. =P They listen to acoustic indie music mostly produced by local or small bands whom most of america has never heard of. They tend to shop for their clothes at urban outfitters or a thrift store in little five and prefer the skinny or straight leg jean over the flare or boot leg. They probably prefer to walk or ride their bikes everywhere because they are worried about their carbon footprint. Considering the amount of vegetarian options on their menu, a major percentage of their clients have probably considered joining PETA. According to the waitress, the occasional world of warcraft victim strolls by with their legion and hold meetings on the sofas during the slow hours of the afternoon.

Less Choices, More Color... =)

Now that I have the logos narrowed down, I still need to pick a color scheme. All I have left to decide is which dessert i'm more in the mood for.

I finally decided on my color scheme!!!! =)

another logo

I came up with this one while sitting in class during critique. Also, I discovered that we can use shades and tints of the same pantone color, therefore enabling me to have more freedom when it comes to color. Now, choosing a color scheme doesn't seem so hard.

COLOR solution

I decided to make swatches to help me figure out what colors to use. First I grouped the colors with brown, then I grouped it with greys, then the last one I did a semi monochromatic thing, finally, i decided to put all three together to see what happened. lol.

COLOR = headache

I've spent the last four hours picking random colors off a color wheel. I've never had to work with color before and it makes everything so difficult especially when you don't have any idea where you're going with the colors. So I basically used random colors. Through trial and error, I'm slowly coming up with an idea of what color schemes I'm thinking about using. Well, here's what I've worked on so far. My least favorite ones are the blob like shapes. I can't really take it anywhere, because I personally don't have my heart in that design. In my opinion, it's sort of like forcing yourself to love someone whom you're not attracted to. It'll be different if I'm designing it for a client, but since this has to represent me and as an individual, I don't really feel that blobs represent my personality. Blobs are free flowing and have no plan or direction. They are affected by whatever external influence is present, such as temperature, inclination, and they get dirty. I consider my life to be very structured. I like being in control and know what's going on. Although I love doing things last minute and unplanned, at least I know that I had a choice in doing those unplanned things.