Colossal: Part 2
Defining the Visual Voice: Identity
Sep 27, 2024 – by Will Miller
Overview—
True story, each of us carried differing and fuzzy memories of what the Colossal logo had been. The actual, current logo (above) was designed by Armin Vit (that Armin) c. 2017 and lined up with the spirit of the even older, more faceted and implied dimensional version from the early 2010s.
Right away we knew it would be to our advantage to adjust our usual approach and sequence of events with Colossal. We knew Christopher, Grace and the Colossal team had the wherewithal to keep up with us during the ideation and visual workflow so we leaned into Miro to keep us all in sync with share outs and feedback. As a tool, Miro lets us think spatially. We can visually plot the progression from one idea to another in a natural way suited for visually-minded teams.
Below is where we landed on final identity design. This post aims to open up the steps and atypical progression we followed sharing a bit of what often happens behind the scenes and left on the cutting room floor.
Inspiration—
Normally, we present clients with curated inspiration and strategic mood boards to visualize our research findings and potential next steps. With Colossal, we took a different approach. Recognizing their team’s creative strengths, we invited them to lead the inspiration process. They shared artwork, installations, and examples from their own collection that truly captured Colossal’s essence. While unconventional, this method gave us valuable insight into what resonated with them.
As we interpreted their inspiration, Colossal’s feedback became multifaceted and divergent, reflecting the many sides and audiences important to their vision. We heard diverse concepts, from “absurd” to “gettin’ big and livin’ small.” Recognizing the challenge in finding a unified direction, we opted for a broader exploration of visual identity in Round 1. This approach prioritized speed and range over refinement, emphasizing quantity to capture Colossal’s varied perspectives.
Round 1—
Early feedback from Christoper and Grace was fairly abstract, often conflicting, but all valuable (and not a surprise!) Needing the deviation from our typical dialed-in design directions, we opted for a wider net in our logo work. We created a variety of concepts, many we knew wouldn’t be the final choice, but each served as effective conversation starter for progress ahead.
We explored an array of logotypes — some sketched and composite, others graceful or substantial — each with its own distinctive character. We visualized these quickly atop various contexts of blog posts, beanies, fire extinguishers, store merchandise, snowboards, and of course, tote bags. Each option sparked new ideas and raised insightful questions, helping us envision Colossal’s potential future identity. Using Miro as our source of truth, we shared the concepts, refined work and gathered feedback. This wider net of rougher design directions began to setup our guardrails for a strong round 2.
Round 2—
Following Round 1, it was clear the team was divided between two potential directions. The big question at the center of the work: a radical departure from the current identity or a more incremental and familiar change.
For the next iteration, we explored the previous two becoming three distinct approaches, each with markedly different visual styles and personalities, based on our understanding of Colossal’s future trajectory. We recognized that all options had merit at this stage. Each result felt unique and fun as heck to explore. No wrong answers! The hypothetical mockups of this round were incredibly satisfying to make as we dreamt up events, physical locations, pizza parties and hangouts into the future. This moment of exploration got both sides excited to dream a bit bigger.
Free Spirit, Big Departure: An adaptation that leads with delicate charm but can feel boundless and large. The letterforms tap into subtle, contemporary notes. The forms feel familiar yet out of time, referencing elements old and new. It’s of-the-hand but carries structure, living somewhere at the intersection of functional, fun and formal while comfortably living alongside art, type and design.
Unique: A continuation on invented, geometric fluidity. Clean lines make way for clever constructed letters that lean forward. Contemporary, friendly, built vs. drawn, structural and crisp. This option feels streamlined yet unorthodox, existing between formal and casual while appearing direct. It’s inquisitive, dynamic, style-agnostic, artful and unique.
Familiar: A subtle adjustment from the original that replaces the energetic symbolism (S bolt — yes, problematic) with swooping movement (S curves). Curvature of the S connection supports an inquisitive spirit while round and looping forms build momentum across the letter tops. Undeniable stability through these subtle changes remains.
Round 3—
We were so close to nailing it, but the distinct double “S” in the logotype, while setting it apart, received mixed feedback. Arguably the most recognizable feature, it visually split the logotype and divided the team’s opinions. We shared alternate forms and ideas hoping for consensus. As we settled on an unexpected heavier visual approach (with the deciding votes coming from Christopher’s son and dad!), we revised the design, exploring and addressing the “S” issue in a number of ways.
With these tweaks, we finalized the word mark with a less loopy, more bendy approach. Simultaneously, we began developing a color set and selecting additional fonts to build out a comprehensive system for the upcoming website work.
Final Exploration: Inches away from the finish line we quickly explored a series of variations built from the final solution exploring forms of the L’s, S’s and crops of different letters. This was one final attempt to see how the letter energy could shift and inform a design system. In the end, we realized our first instincts were spot on and it was off to the next phase where this logo could rest in it’s natural habitat.
Ongoing—
Up next, the grand finale: website process. Our Senior Designer (and recent Autumn coat aficionado) Dean Sweetnich pops the hood on components, dev partnering and purpose. This is where user experience reigns supreme as we outline the journey of visual identity becoming digital home base.