So Much More than Just a Logo

Most of our clients come to us knowing they have a problem with, or at the very least disliking something about, their current brand. They may not know what they wanted fixed or even what needs fixing, and that's fine by us. We're here to do that heavy lifting.

For the Duluth Children's Museum, what they strongly disliked about their brand was, well, their whole brand system (or lack there of), especially when it can to how they wanted the museum represented.

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"Once we reestablished our mission and vision, we needed a brand to help us translate that so it would really work for us. We needed the right kind of brand to bring that new idea of who we are into fruition."

- Cameron Kruger, President/CEO of the Duluth Children's Museum

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The clip art-ish pinwheel logo and cartoon letting were a few pieces the Museum strongly felt didn't showcase them in the way they wanted. While the initial aim was for those elements to look childlike and playful, as years went on, they only became more and more outdated and unpolished feeling.

The aesthetic also felt stuck in the 90s with the colors being all over the place. This made implementing the brand difficult for employees to know how to do. There wasn't a defined system and too much was left up to individual choice. That ultimately caused the brand to become inconsistent and watered down.

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Logo Design

We'll get back to the Duluth Children's Museum in a second, but first, let's back up and talk about logos. A good logo often looks simple. An apple. A bullseye. A swoosh. They're straightforward symbols that identify a company; so how hard can they really be to make?

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Sure, you are free to use any image or design as your business' logo, but making something that's meaningful and memorable, takes a lot of research, strategic thought, and creative problem-solving

A logo - a strong logo - is simple, flexible, and helps customers understand the business and its offerings. It should stand out from competitors while also being able to stand the test of time. After all, no one wants to go through the process of rebranding and changing logos every few years. It's costly and confusing for your employees and customers.

Logo creation is one of our favorite things to do. Not only do we try to create something unique, but we also aim to tell the business' story and pack in loads of meaning. It's a tall order for a simple symbol.

Alright, now let's dive back into the Duluth Children's Museum and the new brand we created for them...

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Duluth Children's Museum

The Duluth Children's Museum's mission is to engage children in hands on learning through creative play and interactive exhibits. They wanted their new branding to really speak to that aspiration - something the pinwheel was lacking. They value play, discovery, exploration, imagination and community. It's a lot to convey within a brand, but we were up for the challenge.

We developed and tested out a lot of concepts. We knew we wanted to infuse bright, bold colors. However, we didn't want the colors to be your classic, and expected, primary colors. We wanted them to be unique enough so they could help bring recognition to the museum. Which is how we landed on the fun color platte you'll see throughout this post.

With the museum all about movement and exploration, we developed the new brand to be full of playful shapes. You'll see, though, that the shapes also make up the letters D, C and M. More than that, we built the shapes to move around in lively ways depending on where they're used. These shapes opened up the branding to all sorts of fun ways for it to be incorporated. We even developed ways for them to be physical parts of the museum and exhibits!

All and all, the shapes create a fun flexibility while implementing an established brand structure. Two must haves for a brand.

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Logo Flexibility

Let's focus on that 'flexibility' piece for just a bit longer. Since a logo is used in a variety of ways, it's essential for it to be flexible. It should be able to adjust to the space available, or for the medium where it'll be used, all the while keeping the same message and being consistently recognized.

Like we do with all our logo creations, we made variations of the Duluth Children's Museum to be horizontal, stacked, etc. However, beyond that, we tested out the logo's use on shirts, bags, social media assets, signage and even exterior building designs. We use this as a way to try to find any gaps in a design concept. But beyond that, it also helps our clients visualize the branding and how it could be used across all sorts of places going forward.

How do you think the brand evolution turned out?

More 'Behind the Design'

Below are just a few more examples showing the meaning we've woven into our logo designs. If you're hungry for more, you can always check out all the logos we've created here.