MICROWAVE PHOTONICS LOGO DESIGN CASE STUDY Microwave Photonics needed a new logo for their push to increase investment dollars and profile among potential customers. While their existing logo was serviceable, the management realized that it would not take them to the next level. DESIGN REVIEW The existing logo consisted of a combination of the electronic symbols of the company's core product lines - microwaves and photonic components, represented by a red laser and the green radio waves. While this would be familiar to engineers, it didn't provide the kind of image that would convey the sophistication of the company's management plans for deployment of the product. It was commented that the design seemed to convey a warning, which was antithetical to an effective logo in this industry. DESIGN COMPS Three design directions were submitted. The first tried to stay close to the original design, but provide a more sophisticated approach. This was rejected because it still felt too close to a warning signal. The second design tried to play up one aspect of the product's nature, multiple nodes. Although this was deemed interesting, it was felt that this concept limited the use of the logo in future to too great of a degree. The third design was the direction selected. Although it needed development, the suggestion of the laser light and waves presented with brush strokes balanced the harshness of the electronic symbols in a way that communicated the company's marketing message well. The company's legal counsel did a preliminary search to determine whether there would be any obvious conflicts with any other company's trademark in their industry. PRODUCTION PROCESS Various strokes were created to get just the right look using a Japanese calligraphic brush pen. These strokes were then scanned, optimized and combined to create logo candidates. FONT SELECTION Fonts of many styles were presented to get the feel the client desired. ICON REFINEMENT While the logo conveyed the right feel, it was determined that it still needed more presence. Two additional versions were compared to the original. The final shape was bolder and rounder, while still retaining the overall style of the original concept. COLOR SELECTION With type selected and the logo shape finalized, it was time to add color. Various color combinations were presented. Taken into account were colors currently used and not used. It is often difficult to determine which way to go; on one had, picking an under-used color can help a company stand out. But picking a popular color can give an indication that a company is current without taking too many risks. A logo represents a company's attitude, and every aspect, including color selection, conveys this. COLOR SELECTION Four color combinations were finally settled on as final candidates. Note that two shades of color were used for the text. This provided a bit of extra dynacism for the text part of the logo. Also note that a decision was made to take out the italics. This kind of flexibility in the design process allows for a better overall result. In addition, the font selected was changed slightly in both kerning and lettershape. The lettershape in particular helps to solidify the logo, and also provides extra elements to make the overall logo defensible, should anyone try and claim it is not a trademark. FINAL SELECTION In the end, a color was selected that was bold and current, as well as easy to reproduce. A "TM" symbol was added in a spot that did not detract from the overall logo. The client had its legal counsel do a final tradmerk review of the logo to insure that it did not infringe on that of any other company. DELIVERY The final step was to provide Microwave Photonics with their logo in vector format (the brush strokes were converted from bitmap to vector) and then provide a style guide for the logo's use. This included instructions for use on different backgrounds (black, white, grey, orange) and variations to guide them in various possible implementations. Also provided were numerical values for the various colors in different color spaces, including PMS and web. In this way, the color would be consistent across all uses. Finally, suggestions are made as to how to proportion the logo in various environments, for example, business cards or on a large scale.