Finalising Idea and Digital Development

note: http://www.designhappy.co.uk/projects/willpower/

The inspiration gathered from researching into aspiring, undeveloped brands, allowed me to find new outlooks into how others would approach competing in the 'testosterone-fuelled market'. 

I really liked the idea of incorporating a symbolic aspect that would resonate through the design, and could stand alone, representing the company as a whole, solely through association.  I thought the depiction of a heartbeat in a monitor conveniently resembles the 'v' letter that is prevalent in my word, as well as being an acknowledged symbol of activation of heart rate, and therefore sports and energising. 

Walking around leeds I came across the signage for a sportswear shop, that based itself on speed and activeness. I found that they also used the heartbeat symbol and concluded, through primary research, that this was relevant and applicable visual language to incorporate. 

This solution represents movement successfully both through the connotations of its depiction, and it being in oblique form. 

Digital interpretation, using all capitals and Futura. This is the design I went with (over below), as I found it more block and clear, in line with the marketing of most energy drinks, as well as being more gender neutral, expanding the target audience. 

Cutting off the edges of the 'e' and 't' to add direction and movement
by slight manipulation to the type.

I first looked to a more literal design in relation to the heart beat monitor by designing the font in LED light style. The outcome is bold and bright, with very curves edges making it a lot less aggressive.

I then experimented with another style of LED signage template, which I could then manipulate to suit the heart beat design. 

I wanted to look into layering, and how incorporating the visual representations of 'over' could be applied to the design. As a result, I experimented with 'glitching' the word, to resemble the meaning of what a glitch is - a big leap over time - which parallels well with 'overstride'. Despite the concept being there, the overall design does not fit in with the aesthetic of an energy drink. 

This design attempts to, again, draw parallels with the definition of the word, which notes taking a big leap or covering a lot of distance. The resultant design extents and elongates the type, just as the stride is elongated. When colour is added, and applied onto a can, this could work effectively.

A further experiment into 3D font, which explores both the stand out qualities of energy drinks should have, and the layering of the word 'over' one another. 

These two designs further explore the layering technique, however in a more exciting way. The glow it emits is successful in dragging the word out, reflective of its meaning, and providing a simplistic and almost glowing design, which could stand out on the shop shelves more than a simple 3d font. 

After these designs, I wanted to look more into the use of bright and bold colours, that would fit into the energy drink branding scene through their vibrant, quirky and colloquial colouring. The design decision to overlay the word on itself I found to have all the qualities necessary for this branding. This includes a relation to the meaning of the word, that could communicate more to the buyer what exactly the word means (as the word is not so popular), as well as bold and striking qualities that contribute to its brand culture.  

The first three experiments (below) use purple and green to excite and intrigue the consumer. From my initial critique feedback, purple was suggested as a colour to explore, thus this is what these designs set out to do. 

The first design has little spacing between layers, in order to provide greater clarity. Despite this, the heart beat of the 'v' remains quite block as the colours combine here, enabling this symbol to remain recognisable and distinct. 

This design went to the opposite extreme of the former, dragging the letters further out and getting rid of any lighter coloured outline of the wording. The colours are bright and combine well together, however may be too retro in style for a contemporary brand. 

The last attempt of this section of designs utilises a successful balance between the distance of layering, providing a lighter outline to reveal the word with greater clarity, whilst maintaining the concept and resembling a heart monitor. I do feel the colouring and aesthetic is effective, yet I am concerned the 90s digital feel of it is not relevant to the energy drink. Nonetheless if the branding is taken in a relatable direction, the vibrancy and uniqueness could work successfully. 

The final designs are the strongest when considering clarity, relevant colouring and brand identity. In-keeping with the strong bold identity of uppercase Futura, the clean logo design incorporates many ideas that the research conducted touches on, including primary colouring, overlaying and connotations of speed and vast movement.

First attempt has less spacing between layers, resembling a sort of 3d glasses technique, which shows movement and glows. The black background provide the perfect amount of contrast, allowing the word to seem clean and simple despite using 3 layers and various colours. 

The final design is more spread out however clarity remains. The three colours are bright, bold and attractive, and fully highlight the qualities primary colours have, through small and vague bursts of colour which are only really noticed at a second glance. The design also acknowledges the 'glitch' idea that was first touched on, and the conceptual relevance this has on the brand.