With this post, we will share with you the design process for Dil Say – a social organization – in detail. At first, we will take a look at the brief and our thought process with sketches, and later, how we finally arrived at the logo above. Ready? Here goes.

About Dil Say:
What began as an endeavor to work just with the youth in the rural sectors of the community, begun to explore and understand the needs of the urban youth that were not being brought to the fore as well. Dil Say decided- its time someone asked the young people, “What problems do YOU think your generation faces? How do YOU think the larger community can contribute in helping your peers in dealing with these concerns? And so, from there, Dil Say saw a larger goal and a heightened aim. Not only does it intend to work with the rural sectors of the community, but it will work to help and resolve- by working with the youth themselves and the social institutions involved- some of the most ignored concerns of the literate classes.

In order to do so, Dil Say began to take the necessary steps to further understand the problems as being faced by the young people in the society today. Working with the youth themselves, Dil Say went out into schools in the tri-city area (Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula) with a survey in hand ready to educate itself right from the source itself. As the answers pile up and our comprehension increases, the organization intends to launch the information back into the society, just when the time is right. From thereon in, it is all about the action which appropriates the cause.

Visit the Dil Say website.

The Brief:
To create an identity that would stimulate feelings from the heart. Something simple, straightforward and to the point. Since Dil Say is a social organization that would be functioning internationally from day one, we had the challenge of creating a symbol that could be understood across cultural boundaries and connect easily with people of all age groups. We also had to keep in mind replicability, so it could be used on button caps, business stationary, stickers, cards, web, clothing and other merchandising material.

Research:
Once we got the brief, we got to our Macs – handy buggers – and popped open Google. We searched and searched, and found a few organizations. To name a few: Andre Agassi Foundation, The Tyra Banks TZONE Foundation, Chip Mumbai, Deepalaya, and we even stumbled upon Salman Khan’s – Being Human. We’re sure you get the picture.

Conceptualizing & Rough Sketches:
Once we had completed our research, we took the evening off – had some Oreo shake – ice cream, milk, Oreos (Duh!) and more ice cream. Later, we went off to the nearby cinema to see Ice Age 3.

We like to completely forget everything, so that it can all fit into place later. In simple words, its part of our creative process. Next morning, we sat down and drew a couple of sketches. After narrowing down two designs, we got on to our Macs and started giving vector shapes. This is what came out:

Option 1:

Option 2:
At this stage, we were quite happy and satisfied with the work. But – we still slept over it – just in case we changed our mind. Next morning, with all the confidence, we shared both concepts with the client. We explained how both concepts had been made keeping in mind that Dil Say is not just an organization that contributes towards the well being of the society, but more on the lines of a ‘movement’. To our surprise and shock, it was rejected and a re-do was asked. The client didn’t budge one inch. The ‘movement’ idea didn’t sink in quiet right, so we had to head back to the drawing board.

This called for a beer. And we were off to the local pub.

Next day, we went back to our rough sketches and looked at all the options. After pondering for a couple of hours, and a few coffees down, it clicked to us. We had our next Big Idea. The heart with the silhouette of a woman’s face was there the whole time, and in the beginning we didn’t pay much heed, but now, it seemed to make the fit.

Final Work:
After our initial failure, and a re-do, we had come out stronger and better – prepared with a better proposition. We shared the new logo with our client and explained how it represented the organization. And how it was kept simple and to the point. Also discussed: how important the heart element was to the logo, and how the silhouette of three girls added a feeling of togetherness and harmony, a group like, an organization like – the kinds that’s people oriented.

This time, the client was happy. And so were we. The new look was approved. Here it is once again with business stationary.

Completed Logo:
Business Card:

Certificate:

Envelope:

Letter Head:

Notepad:

Colours & Typeface:
Because we’re talking about the heart, taking the red colour throughout was one of the easiest choices. The only other colour you’ll notice is black – and that’s pretty much it for the colours department. For the type face, we didn’t want to take the cursive route, so we opted for a simple, clean and streamlined font face. The lower case adds to the softness as well as brings balance and consonance. The overall look of the logo is similar to that of an hot air balloon.

And finally, here are some words from the client. I think they go a long way in building our confidence and the trust of future clients.

Client Testimonial:
H DEGREE will spend their time trying to explain to you of how their concepts work, or if their ideas are better than what you had in mind. What they have managed to achieve is much greater than superfluous leadership – they have embarked upon a sincere route glistening with a passion for what they do. That being said, the agency has managed to put the customer first – in genuine practice. With the right intentions at heart and mind and a drive, so rare, H DEGREE has succumbed to applaudable originality; an almost non existent versatility and an unknown degree of true passion that makes their work worth every second spent with them. Any doubt in your mind is replaced with true reason for why things are being done the way they are, and any hesitation, if present, is only momentary. Once the final work is placed in front of you, you cant help but smile, take a deep breath and say ‘Oh Wow!’ Sheeba Singh.

Tags: corporate stationary, design process, logo, logo design, logo design process

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 at 9:01 pm and is filed under Design, Identity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.