I started by completing a creative audit of my client’s various platforms to get a better sense of the content and existing look and feel. This included watching some of his YouTube videos and taking a look at other individuals doing similar work (Lex Fridman). I then compiled a list of observations and recommendations to help guide my decisions during the brainstorming stage. This included creating mood boards and sketches to represent different directions we could push the brand. I also created low-fidelity logos for consideration because sometimes sketches aren’t quite enough. Geoff was unsure about what name he wanted to use, so my strategy was to create a unique logo mark to pair with a standard typeface in case we had to pivot or change course. Intelligent Systems was his current name, but he wanted to consider Ackeron, which is the name of a game he has developed.

Geoff and his wife Nicole really liked the initial thinking and work I presented. I played with both literal and abstract interpretations of the potential names. They gravitated towards the circuit brain but wanted to see more options for Ackeron that made it sound more tech-focused and less Fortune 500. Geoff is also from Hawaii, and he and his wife thought of using the green flash sunset as inspiration. Within a day, I quickly made adjustments to my initial concepts to include this feedback and sent through revised concepts.

Again, they liked what they saw but felt like it wasn’t quite hitting the mark. At this stage, we were nearly halfway through the project, and Geoff threw a curveball at me. He decided he would like to run with just his own name and use a type-based logo. I was not prepared for that, and was so eager to deliver something stellar for him, something that had personality. After taking a moment to consider alternative options, I was struck with inspiration and suggested creating an illustrated avatar to use along with his name. It would be iconic and really help people remember him and his brand. Geoff and Nicole were really excited. It took a few iterations, but eventually we landed on the logos below. I created two different layouts for the logo depending on use cases, which I outlined in the brand guidelines.

The branding was then applied to many different print and digital deliverables, including business cards, YouTube channel, website, PowerPoint template, video titles, and much more. Examples of these designs and templates were included in the brand guidelines along with recommendations of how to use the branding, typography, and color palette in new materials.