Case Study

Project Overview.

A fictional brand required a comprehensive visual identity for an upcoming event. The event concept I developed, Fuel Fest, is a large-scale motorcycle festival designed to bring riders of all backgrounds and disciplines together from across the globe to celebrate their shared passion for riding. The goal of this project was to design a complete brand kit versatile enough to function across both print and digital applications.

Research and Discovery

To inform the creative direction, research was conducted across several areas of the motorcycle event landscape. This included an analysis of existing smaller-scale motorcycle events, examining their typical locations, average attendance, and the communities they attract. Competitor brand identities within the space were also reviewed to identify visual trends, gaps, and opportunities that could help Fuel Fest establish a distinct and ownable identity.

The brand lacked an established visual identity and required a full suite of brand assets built from the ground up. Deliverables included a primary logo, secondary lockup, icon, surface pattern, brand typography guide, and a defined color palette.

The Problem / Brief.

Design Process

The main challenge of the project presented itself early in the process. How would I create a single, unified logo that authentically represented the full spectrum of motorcycle culture, from cruiser riders to off-road enthusiasts, without alienating any one group. This effected every early sketching and ideation session, as the result needed to feel inclusive and broadly appealing while still carrying a strong, confident visual identity for a large scale event.

A brand typography and color guide are some of the most important aspects of any branding guide. Before I got started on any final designs with text and color, I needed to establish a good brand baseline. I always choose to work with color first, and in this case I wanted to lean towards inviting warm colors to go with the summer vibe but also to emphasize the flames and fire aspect a bit more. Typography wise, I decided tall, thick and sans-serif font that perfectly represents recognizable festival lettering and the hotrod / motto head aesthetic.

Combining the different types of riders into one design started with the ideation of what classifies each rider stereotype. Sport bike riders are associated with speed, so speed lines must be represented somewhere in the final branding kit. Old-fashion cruiser riders are closely associated with the flame aesthetic, and race riders with the checkered pattern of the flame. With a visual vocabulary established for each audience segment, the design process could begin. Lots of preliminary ideas, sketches and trials with many errors.

The Final Solution

The solution was a mix of some of the preliminary topics, the speed lines, flames and checkers, and a nice tilted almost flag like shape, a parallelogram technically speaking. The words, "Fuel Fest" right in the middle with a unique stacking effect almost held in place with nice checkered lines using a pattern swatch on the outsides of the bounding parallelogram box they were in. Then I meticulously added little speed lines to the left side of the text and parallelogram. Then, after adding some color I was left with the premise of my main design.

Reflection and Learning

I learned a lot from this mock project. This was my first time creating a project that had to do with a specific "brand" per say, and a branding kit as a whole. If I could do it again, I would definitely spend more time focusing on alternate lockups and icons. Even though they are often seen as secondaries, they are just as important as a primary logo in multiple scenarios.

Icons, patterns and lockups followed suit. The icon consisted of two capital letter "F"s with the same stacking and speed line idea, but with an added wave effect to give it some shape and style. The secondary lockup made a more square shape, removing all of the surroundings and leaving behind the two main words "Fuel Fest". A pattern was all that was needed to put the cap on this brand asset collection. The pattern needed to represent the main ideas of the brand without being too cluttered and chaotic. I pulled from the original stereotype ideas and created a simple fire and flag pattern.