A1A, an orthopaedic sales company with offices in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, commissioned Design Kompany to design this logo:
We also designed business stationery. Here are the letterhead, envelope, and business card designs:
And yesterday, we got this in the mail:
The design idea
Graphic designers everywhere would be delighted to work with the typography for something so geometric a name as A1A. Two A’s and a strong vertical 1 tempt all kinds of creative exploration.
But right away we knew there would be one obvious challenge: how to distinguish this from the AIA, the American Institute of Architects? The organization is so well known, or maybe we think so because when DK met designer Kurt Wolken last winter, he told us his company, wolken communica, was rebranding AIA Seattle. Check out their final design at aiaseattle.org.
So for our own project, DK decided to focus in on the “1,” emphasizing the large numeral as a way to set this logo well apart from the architecture nonprofit.
We also wanted to make sure to stick to A1A’s core message. Getting to that concise brand statement is a huge part of what we do. Read more about how we got to A1A’s in the FOCUS section below.
As part of the process, we sought inspiration from The Man in the Arena as well as UW prof Karen Cheng’s book, Designing Type.
DK’s FOCUS package
You see, a logo is more than just a pretty face to the name of a company. It’s a window to the company’s soul, its core beliefs and its message.
In this sense, even the term “branding” is woefully inadequate. The idea taken literally, a “brand” on a cow, says nothing at all of the being’s personality. It’s a surface application only.
That’s why we spend half of our time and effort on a branding project talking with our clients about that golden nugget of inspiration that comes when people get to talk honestly about what gets them very excited.
Not just excited. Passionate.
When you get to that kind of conversation, you’re on the verge of discovering that glistening message that radiates sincerely from a soul.
Strong messages come from the soul, they’re not applique.
In A1A’s FOCUS sessions, what shone through most brilliantly was the president Dave Eva’s strong belief in competition, team work and strong leadership. Emphasizing the “1″ was a natural course of action coming out of these discussions.
Here’s what Dave said:
I really am pleased with the work the three of us did. The logo is a perfect fit for our company.—Dave Eva, A1A
A great client
Working with company president Dave Eva was absolutely wonderful for Akira and me.
We were totally inspired by his straightforward, no-nonsense approach to getting things done and strong commitment to working hard to earn life’s rewards.
Along the way we also got to chat about life in general, seeing as how DK’s new boss was gearing up to start.
Sounds almost like A1QA (software testing company I’m working for).
You know, there’s a huge advantage of “A1″-starting name. When you are listed somewhere and all the names are in alphabetical order - you are the first and always noticeable.