Cherrytree Bakery - Visual Logomark

In order for the branding to have complete versatility, I wanted to create a visual logomark that could sit alongside the branding and be used as part of the main logo itself, yet was still visually literate as a solo visual. Therefore the produced visual must be representative of the business' values and morals, whilst still being visibly evident what the business do themselves, as was the logotype. 

Initial Ideas -

• Incorporate imagery from the bakery itself in some way.
• Incorporate a representation of the Entwistle family, possibly include the information found about there being 3 generations working for the business. 
• Look into ingredients used and make a visualisation of this. 
• Line art.

Research - 

To be able to explore each of the initial ideas I decided to look into the imagery that is provided on the current Cherrytree website although this would obviously be different from the images used in the branding of the new business I felt I may find some visual inspiration that could be used to show the client an example of imagery that could possibly be changed over. 

Images found:

These images are found within the gallery section of the website, although they mainly depict the staff members and the machinery that is used within the process of the creation of the products themselves. Most of which the general public and other business who are supplied the products would not know what they contribute to the process, therefore I decided to move away from the idea of using the imagery that already exists to influence the design of the visual element instead, I will explore my other initial ideas, and use these images elsewhere in the branding design. 

Main ingredients used in baked goods - 

• Butter
• Eggs
• Flour
• Milk

I started to consider the visuals that are linked to these products and the way that they could relate to a visual iconography that could be placed alongside the logotype itself. To explore this idea I started creating sketches that were representative of each. 

Sketches:

Figure 1

• Butter curls work best but may become confusing what they are and how they link without colouring and being in the context they are. Can seem like shells.
• Block of butter again may not be clear what it is without the use of colour, something which I wanted to steer clear off in the branding, and if used it would be done in a way that brings the entire piece together in a single monochrome variation.
• May make the business seem more like a dairy farm or too involved with the dairy side of things rather than the actual baking element.

Figure 2

• Eggs again give a good representation of the process that is involved within the making of the products themselves.
• Three eggs would be representative of the three generations of the family that are involved within the process of the actual creation of the products themselves. Stippling would create shading on the illustrations, giving them depth and allowing for a rustic look, resembling the artisan nature of the business. 
• Empty egg box to show they have been used in the baking process. May not be as clear as to what it is, if people don't know the context of the business, may come across as a company that is involved with farming rather than baking.

Figure 3

• Flour is the most obvious choice, as it is the main ingredient in all of the products that the business creates. 
• A cup of flour could be used as it relates to the measurement of baking as the product itself, the flour could be created using stippling to add depth and shading, this can be resembled on the cup itself, by using thin line strokes overlaid it will create depth using a rustic style, once again reverting the imagery back to the artisan methods involved in the business. This will also allow for the effect of metal on the cup, meaning it will be more visually evident that the cup itself is a measuring cup. 
• The second sketch was based on the idea of producing the flour, before the production of the baked goods, this may be the most obvious of all of the visualisation although I believe in this type of brief it may be needed, as the name itself doesn't contain the fact that the business is a bakery. 

Feedback - after speaking with peers and presenting each of the sketches alongside each of the ideas behind them, they agreed that also they think the idea I should be pressing forward is flour, as it is most relevant to the business and the branding ideas that I have created so far. Out of the two sketches the preferred idea that I should press on with is the three stems of wheat, as it is most inclusive of both the visualisation concept of the business and where the product comes from, as well as bearing in mind that the business is run by three generations/members of the same family. 

Chosen Idea - Three strands of wheat

Moving forward I will be exploring this idea digitally and therefore be able to produce a logomark that will sit alongside the logotype to create an entire logo. 

Visual Reference - 

Visual Reference

Digital Explorations:

Trial 1

This trial is a direct representation of the original sketch, which has been added to with the addition of the extra wisps on the tip of each strand in order to create a strong direct visual representation of the wheat strands themselves. the stands tails are all curved to give them a more natural look.

Next Steps - to be able to move forward with this design I believe the wisps need taking away to give a more simplified version of the wheat, being line art it can be perceived as what it is in a more simplified state. 

Trial 2

I feel as if this trial works better being more simplified, it means the focus will not be taken away from the logotype itself, and therefore also be more memorable to the business it is linked to. The less information that is presented in the visuals of a brand, the more likely it is to stick in the mind of the consumer, as I discovered within the element of the logotype of the brief.

Next steps - to combat the fact that the strands stand so tall I will be looking into how the stems could be shorted and still retain the style of a strand of wheat. 

Trial 3

Trial 4

Within-trial 2 I discussed the fact that the logo mark would need to be made shorter in order to coherently fit with the logotype and create a more rounded overall logo. To be able to first do this I made the stems completely straight, something which contrasts against the style of the two other trials, this means when I shorten them to the meeting point, they will look more consistent and structurally stronger as a mark. In trial 4 it is evident that shortening the stems themselves creates a mark that resembles wheat strands much more than the others in comparison. The tips themselves have been smoothed on the corners, this gives a smoother all-around finish, and allows for a more natural feel to the representation, which brings the illustration back to its original plant-based inspiration.

In situ trial -

Trial With Logo

In order to understand other peoples thoughts of the overall logo and the way it fits with both the brief and my rationale of the brief, I asked peers for feedback, to which I made notes to take back to my practice and improve the overall design.

Feedback - 

• The line art is too thick compared to the type mark. 
• Consider a different colour than black to be able to create a more subtle impact on the overall piece. 
• Make the 'of Lancashire' text slightly larger so it is more evident at the forefront of the logo.
• Possibly make the tips of the strands more evident that they are separate elements along a stem, it currently reminds people visually of an arrow tail. 

Response to feedback - 

The first development that I focused on was the logomark itself, once getting this imagery right I would be able to move onto developing the text around it to ensure that the whole piece sits correctly. 

Further development notes

To be able to ensure I responded to the feedback to create a more streamlined concise logomark I began by sketching out the possibilities, to be able to individualise each of the kernels on the tips I decided to create separation between both each other and the stem itself. Within idea 1 and 2 I felt as if the illustration of the kernels themselves would be too squared and therefore too structured, to be able to combat such I could illustrate the kernels in a way that they almost appear as a teardrop shape, this would soften the corners. In doing so it would also create the feel of the tip consisting of separate kernels, although to keep this simplified I decided to do them as a single line which would flick off the original stem. This is responding to the feedback in a way that meets the brief, whilst also taking into consideration the placement of the logo in use and production, due to its size that it may be eventually printed it is needed to be as simple as possible, so the lines themselves don't become overlapped or too thin to be visible when printed; as they can not be thicker than the text itself. 

The sizing of the text was also considered and altered according to the feedback.

Final Logomark - 

Final Logomark

Final Logo