Branding

FICTIONAL BRANDS | ACTUAL BRANDS

FICTIONAL BRANDS

PROBLEM
Tutorials about design techniques or tools are more helpful and inspiring when they show potential applications of the lesson in realistic contexts. However, one cannot ethically create these examples with the branding of actual companies.

SOLUTION
I design fictional brands to help demonstrate the topic of my tutorial. This often involves creating a logo and a sample branded product. Below are some fictional brands and products I’ve created for my published tutorials.

Horrid Veruca | Chocolate company
Bold, slightly psychedelic typography helps this brand stand apart.

Confucius Teas | Tea company
A structured face suggests firm values, while the graphic system of a mountain range features Confucian sayings.

5-6-7-8! | Dance studio
Type and photo mirror the bouncy beat of a warm-up countdown.

Jeudi Interiors | Interior design company
A window graphic symbolizes exploration and openness while emphasizing interior spaces.

Penelope | Weaving cooperative
A shape reminiscent of a loom and sunsets (motifs in Homer's The Odyssey) or a yarn ball and needles represents the story of this cooperative supporting women weavers.

Kookie’s | Cookie mix company
A kooky, midcentury look for DIY baking.

Coffee Corner | Coffeehouse
Pops of color and funky type lend a jittery look to this brand. A circle and a square combine in an icon to represent a coffee cup or table and chair.

Mure Store | Stone carving company
A gray oval portrays reliability and stability. The graphic system of table-like forms resembles a mountain (quarry).

Little Photons | Children’s education company
Bright, bold colors and energetic angles convey fun and growth.

Gabby Kids | Children’s education company
A playful, chatty vibe for a foreign language learning product.

HaruMaru Ramen House | Restaurant
A chunky, modern look creates a hip, clean look.

Illustration art for menu cover design by Maya P. Lim

Atelo | Snack cracker company
The A is drawn to resemble a bitten cracker, which can be used to create tessellated patterns for packaging.

Vogel Pottery | Ceramics studio
The cross-section of a bowl suggests a bird (in German, Vogel).

Lenore Skin Care | Skin care products
A simple and elegant logo easily matches seasonal themes.

Precious Vandals | Theatre group
An edgy look for a theatre group reenvisioning drama.

Other examples

ACTUAL BRANDS

Brand guidebooks for global companies

As a contractor for Landor Associates, I help to produce brand guidebooks for some of the world's leading brands. I've assisted with the branding of eight global companies to date.

Partnering with Landor's in-house teams, I work to develop comprehensive visual identity systems (logo suites, typography, color palettes, photography styles, etc.). I design and write guidebooks that explain the visual brand strategy, and how to design with the elements effectively. I also produce exhibits and mockups (both design and copy) to model branding applications.

Much of my produced work is under NDA, but feel free to ask for more details. (Just be prepared for vague replies.)

Logo, identity, and stylebook for study center

PROBLEM
The Child Study Center of New York is a nonprofit that provides educational support for preschool students with special needs. Its executive director wanted a fresh, modern logo and visual identity that would show the organization's inclusivity, playfulness, and friendliness.

SOLUTION
I designed a trio of cheerful, childlike faces in vibrant colors, which could be applied playfully in multiple contexts, and produced a style guidebook. Unfortunately, the project was dropped after a change in organizational leadership.

Logo and usage guidebook for plant research lab

PROBLEM
The Borevitz Lab is a team of plant scientists who use cutting-edge technologies to develop gene-based solutions for landscape issues. With its expanding production of digital media, the group needed a logo to convey its work themes while being distinctive at any scale—from smartphones to auditorium presentation screens.

SOLUTION
I designed a logo inspired by computer motherboards and forest trees, representing the lab's commitment to researching natural systems with technological tools. The logo shows trees in different growth stages supporting each other, representing the lab's highly inclusive, collaborative spirit. The shape of the B mimics the shape of an SD memory card, a staple for the lab. I also produced a logo usage guidebook.

Templates for "branding toolkit" app

PROBLEM
Adobe Spark Post is an app that enables users to design branded graphics in seconds. For the launch of a grid-based design feature, we wanted to offer templates for users to remix.

SOLUTION
Since the target user was small business owners needing marketing design solutions, I felt that each template needed to appear branded and should reflect typical marketing needs for that user group. I produced a set of 20+ templates that were diverse in branding styles and could be easily customized, working within the constraints of the app's design and typographic tools.

Click to visit the Adobe Spark Post website

Menu (example in design tutorial)

PROBLEM
Graphic design can help companies to build their brand and convey their ambiance. But elegantly designing info-dense materials such as menus can be challenging.

SOLUTION
Using the example of a restaurant being rebranded as a more upscale establishment, I produced a video tutorial describing some common errors in menu design, and showed how to create a more upscale look with basic typographic and layout principles. The tutorial was published on Adobe Create.