Effective logo design, part 2: using natural templates
Part 1
In nature, there is a small set of patterns that creates all the diversity around us. These patterns perform the three main tasks that the universe works on, moving, conserving and connecting energies.
Nature communicates with an intricate system with internal connections, including checks and balances, to bring the templates together and result in perfect and meaningful results. Nature is a natural economist who creates a lot of very small. We have already discussed symbols, metaphors and the power of intuition - now let's consider natural patterns.
')
Man invents things by imposing a form on nature. Man discovers things by discovering patterns of nature.
- Alan Fletcher
The main property of templates is repeatability. They can be read like stories. Humanity has been learning the language of nature for survival. Periodic migration pass, the passage of the constellations in the sky and the properties of different soils are all examples of patterns that create the expectations on which we depend. Designers use natural patterns because they can be relied upon. Biomimicry is important not only for product designers. Graphics inspired by biology can make a logo stronger by referring to a template known on a subconscious level to all people.
Understanding how templates work in nature helps the designer choose the most appropriate visual elements to describe the unique properties of the client, while using concepts that everyone can understand. When the audience’s first look captures the main visual information, the opportunity to transmit the rest of the details opens up.
Basic natural patterns are combined in stable and practical ways. These three patterns are at the core of all processes in the universe, from the micro to the macro world. Movement is the basic principle of life, so we will start with it.
Patterns of movement transfer energy from one place to another and appear in different situations. Linear patterns of branches and roots, rivers, blood vessels and neurons, streams are all examples of energy transfer.
In branching patterns, the source is connected to the destination point by a line. Body fluids carry oxygen, leaves turn sunlight into energy and transfer it along branches, river channels branch and adjust to the contours of the surface, transferring nutrients and water to plants and animals, and lightning converts carbon and nitrogen into compounds that can be obtained by plants.
The two patterns of movement, though different, have similar effectiveness in their tasks. The branch patterns are straight, angular and unambiguous, and the meanders (bends of the bed of a flat river) are meandering, curved and relaxed. There are reasons for this - branching structures should transfer energy as quickly as possible and more efficiently, while meanders distribute energy in the convolutions, which evenly and slowly flows to more precise assignments, covering a large area.
The ISTEC logo (Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium, Iberian-American Education Consortium for Science and Technology) makes several cultural and technical references about the organization. This is a non-profit organization (NPO) that transfers programs, computer hardware and training from large US technology companies and transfers them to universities in Central and South America, as well as to Spain and Portugal. In exchange, technology corporations have access to the best students at these universities.
The branch pattern hints at movement to emphasize the exchange process that moves technology and one place to another. The square shape emphasizes stability and reliability.
Brains transfer energy, as well as branching, but with distinction: they do not show haste and represent freedom and smoothness. Duffy + Partners created the Bahamas logo, combining distinct shape and color characteristics. Winding patterns are not often used in logos, because they do not look well organized, but in this case, they describe the journey, entertainment, and travel between the islands perfectly.
The development process shows how a chain of islands connected to the typical bright flora of the Caribbean.
At first glance, in the logo, you can not see the convolutions, but you need to take a closer look and look inside. Chains of islands are connected at the bottom of the ocean. Bright colors, random shapes - everything supports the idea of ​​a relaxed and interesting vacation in the tropics.
The packaging template achieves two goals: it stores and stabilizes energy for later use. Drying mud, blisters, cracking cement all this usually occurs at an angle of 120 degrees. And there is a reason for this - in nature everything consists of spherical forms, atoms, molecules, microorganisms, viruses, cells. And this is best packed with each other along hexagons that have angles of 120 °.
Therefore, hexagonal patterns occur when objects are compressed by temperature, gravity, or pressure. This mosaic structure has no gaps or overlays, it is similar to a puzzle. Therefore, it is the most efficient and stable energy storage model. Only quadrilaterals and triangles have such periodic mosaicity.
Classic examples from nature are cracks in cement and the location of honeycombs.
Packaging templates are great for companies that want to demonstrate safety or storage. We also include angular forms (which we will discuss later). The angular shapes rest reliably on the base, and the angles mark the exact measuring points. This emphasizes reliability and accuracy, and hints at transparency and honesty. In English, “true” refers to both “truthful, true”, and “correct, accurate.”
Angular forms like banks and other financial organizations, as well as contract firms and other companies that want to translate these properties.
A screw and a spiral have a similar shape, but a different purpose - almost like that of meanders and branches. The diameter of the screw does not increase or decrease, which allows it to penetrate deep into structures and withstand high pressures. The spiral follows an ever expanding path in a geometrical progression of self-similar curves.
Screw - concentrated energy for serious actions and intentions. In nature, this air and water tornadoes. We use the same principle when creating a drill that penetrates solid structures that need to be firmly connected to something - or to a corkscrew that seizes and pulls out the cork. Paired helix means interaction, which binds together and balances opposites. The double helix indicates the incredible power that generates genetic drawings to the new generation through DNA.
Such lines hint at the cooperation of opposites, special strength at short distances and duration comparable to generations. I chose this pattern to describe the acupuncture clinic. By understanding how patterns work, you can appreciate the gusts of your intuition. Intuition is the genius of our feelings, which helps to make the right choice.
A few years ago, I created this logo for an alternative medicine clinic that focuses on Chinese medicine. The founders have already engaged in traditional Western medicine and expanded their field of activity to acupuncture. I used caduceus to combine traditional medicine and qi energy. This is one of those works that did not require much deliberation. The solution presented itself in the first sketch. The caduceus-chi hybrid binds two approaches to medicine, and the underlying screw pattern refers to the essence of the penetration of acupuncture needles.
The spiral is creativity and regeneration, bringing together various kinds of energies. Geometrically, it is described in the construction of a logarithmic spiral, or a spiral that grows exponentially.
The golden helix is ​​constructed by connecting geometrically growing circles, which are connected at the intersection points. Known spiral based on the Fibonacci sequence.
This helix is ​​a natural growth pattern, and it is the only pattern that is also a form. It expresses a new life that unfolds into the world. This is a typical form for embryos and germinating seeds.
The screw and helix were incorporated into the logo of Valle Encantado, a small farm that grows food for their communities. Screw tendrils wrapping the shoulder blades define the handle and represent intensive digging and growing work, while the logarithmic spiral indicates the creative work of food production to support the community.
Take a notebook and go for a walk.
To effectively design logos you need to learn how to identify and isolate important information. The exercise will give you a working context for observing, interacting, refining, isolating, deleting and regrouping when using critical thinking skills at all stages. Choose any natural form (animal, plant, mineral) and use this exercise to learn more about it.
An example of a simplified and stylized natural template.
The process of turning general information into a certain form of communication creates value for your audience. When you practice your perception of the universal meaning of simple templates, you can successfully integrate them into logo design as simple strategies.
The correct inclusion of templates enhances the message at all levels - starting with a first glance, which gives rise to intuition and interest of the audience. Combining it with symbolism and metaphors, you can add depth to the logo. Another good strategy is the use of simple geometric designs in the design - about this in the next part.
Part 3
In nature, there is a small set of patterns that creates all the diversity around us. These patterns perform the three main tasks that the universe works on, moving, conserving and connecting energies.
Nature communicates with an intricate system with internal connections, including checks and balances, to bring the templates together and result in perfect and meaningful results. Nature is a natural economist who creates a lot of very small. We have already discussed symbols, metaphors and the power of intuition - now let's consider natural patterns.
')
Man invents things by imposing a form on nature. Man discovers things by discovering patterns of nature.
- Alan Fletcher
The main property of templates is repeatability. They can be read like stories. Humanity has been learning the language of nature for survival. Periodic migration pass, the passage of the constellations in the sky and the properties of different soils are all examples of patterns that create the expectations on which we depend. Designers use natural patterns because they can be relied upon. Biomimicry is important not only for product designers. Graphics inspired by biology can make a logo stronger by referring to a template known on a subconscious level to all people.
The relationship of natural patterns and design
Understanding how templates work in nature helps the designer choose the most appropriate visual elements to describe the unique properties of the client, while using concepts that everyone can understand. When the audience’s first look captures the main visual information, the opportunity to transmit the rest of the details opens up.
Basic natural patterns are combined in stable and practical ways. These three patterns are at the core of all processes in the universe, from the micro to the macro world. Movement is the basic principle of life, so we will start with it.
Patterns of movement: branching and meanders
Patterns of movement transfer energy from one place to another and appear in different situations. Linear patterns of branches and roots, rivers, blood vessels and neurons, streams are all examples of energy transfer.
In branching patterns, the source is connected to the destination point by a line. Body fluids carry oxygen, leaves turn sunlight into energy and transfer it along branches, river channels branch and adjust to the contours of the surface, transferring nutrients and water to plants and animals, and lightning converts carbon and nitrogen into compounds that can be obtained by plants.
The two patterns of movement, though different, have similar effectiveness in their tasks. The branch patterns are straight, angular and unambiguous, and the meanders (bends of the bed of a flat river) are meandering, curved and relaxed. There are reasons for this - branching structures should transfer energy as quickly as possible and more efficiently, while meanders distribute energy in the convolutions, which evenly and slowly flows to more precise assignments, covering a large area.
Branching patterns in logos
The ISTEC logo (Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium, Iberian-American Education Consortium for Science and Technology) makes several cultural and technical references about the organization. This is a non-profit organization (NPO) that transfers programs, computer hardware and training from large US technology companies and transfers them to universities in Central and South America, as well as to Spain and Portugal. In exchange, technology corporations have access to the best students at these universities.
The branch pattern hints at movement to emphasize the exchange process that moves technology and one place to another. The square shape emphasizes stability and reliability.
Winding patterns in logos
Brains transfer energy, as well as branching, but with distinction: they do not show haste and represent freedom and smoothness. Duffy + Partners created the Bahamas logo, combining distinct shape and color characteristics. Winding patterns are not often used in logos, because they do not look well organized, but in this case, they describe the journey, entertainment, and travel between the islands perfectly.
The development process shows how a chain of islands connected to the typical bright flora of the Caribbean.
At first glance, in the logo, you can not see the convolutions, but you need to take a closer look and look inside. Chains of islands are connected at the bottom of the ocean. Bright colors, random shapes - everything supports the idea of ​​a relaxed and interesting vacation in the tropics.
Packing pattern: hexagon and other mosaic shapes
The packaging template achieves two goals: it stores and stabilizes energy for later use. Drying mud, blisters, cracking cement all this usually occurs at an angle of 120 degrees. And there is a reason for this - in nature everything consists of spherical forms, atoms, molecules, microorganisms, viruses, cells. And this is best packed with each other along hexagons that have angles of 120 °.
Therefore, hexagonal patterns occur when objects are compressed by temperature, gravity, or pressure. This mosaic structure has no gaps or overlays, it is similar to a puzzle. Therefore, it is the most efficient and stable energy storage model. Only quadrilaterals and triangles have such periodic mosaicity.
Classic examples from nature are cracks in cement and the location of honeycombs.
Logo Packing Templates
Packaging templates are great for companies that want to demonstrate safety or storage. We also include angular forms (which we will discuss later). The angular shapes rest reliably on the base, and the angles mark the exact measuring points. This emphasizes reliability and accuracy, and hints at transparency and honesty. In English, “true” refers to both “truthful, true”, and “correct, accurate.”
Angular forms like banks and other financial organizations, as well as contract firms and other companies that want to translate these properties.
Patterns of connectedness and regeneration: helical and spiral lines
A screw and a spiral have a similar shape, but a different purpose - almost like that of meanders and branches. The diameter of the screw does not increase or decrease, which allows it to penetrate deep into structures and withstand high pressures. The spiral follows an ever expanding path in a geometrical progression of self-similar curves.
Screw pattern
Screw - concentrated energy for serious actions and intentions. In nature, this air and water tornadoes. We use the same principle when creating a drill that penetrates solid structures that need to be firmly connected to something - or to a corkscrew that seizes and pulls out the cork. Paired helix means interaction, which binds together and balances opposites. The double helix indicates the incredible power that generates genetic drawings to the new generation through DNA.
Screw lines in logos
Such lines hint at the cooperation of opposites, special strength at short distances and duration comparable to generations. I chose this pattern to describe the acupuncture clinic. By understanding how patterns work, you can appreciate the gusts of your intuition. Intuition is the genius of our feelings, which helps to make the right choice.
A few years ago, I created this logo for an alternative medicine clinic that focuses on Chinese medicine. The founders have already engaged in traditional Western medicine and expanded their field of activity to acupuncture. I used caduceus to combine traditional medicine and qi energy. This is one of those works that did not require much deliberation. The solution presented itself in the first sketch. The caduceus-chi hybrid binds two approaches to medicine, and the underlying screw pattern refers to the essence of the penetration of acupuncture needles.
Spiral pattern
The spiral is creativity and regeneration, bringing together various kinds of energies. Geometrically, it is described in the construction of a logarithmic spiral, or a spiral that grows exponentially.
The golden helix is ​​constructed by connecting geometrically growing circles, which are connected at the intersection points. Known spiral based on the Fibonacci sequence.
This helix is ​​a natural growth pattern, and it is the only pattern that is also a form. It expresses a new life that unfolds into the world. This is a typical form for embryos and germinating seeds.
Spiral logos
The screw and helix were incorporated into the logo of Valle Encantado, a small farm that grows food for their communities. Screw tendrils wrapping the shoulder blades define the handle and represent intensive digging and growing work, while the logarithmic spiral indicates the creative work of food production to support the community.
Exercises
Exercise with templates â„–1: a conversation with nature
Take a notebook and go for a walk.
- Focus on natural forms (not buildings, sidewalks, etc.). Try to identify one of the five basic patterns: branching, square wave, packaged forms, spiral and screw. Find them, draw, and determine which pattern prevails in this case, because in nature they often intersect.
- Take a look deeper. What does their form tell you about what they do (movement, storage, connection)? Can you determine what the template is doing in the context of how it is used?
- Collaboration templates. Can you find some templates that work together? How do they interact and support each other?
Exercise with templates â„–2: the expression of templates in the design
To effectively design logos you need to learn how to identify and isolate important information. The exercise will give you a working context for observing, interacting, refining, isolating, deleting and regrouping when using critical thinking skills at all stages. Choose any natural form (animal, plant, mineral) and use this exercise to learn more about it.
- Draw a realistic drawing. Draw as accurately as you can, by any method. You can concentrate on one part of the object if it is too complicated.
- Examine the object in three dimensions. Create its three-dimensional model. This can be done by folding the paper, using materials for needlework or anything else. Watch the basic movements or patterns of the patterns to determine the three-dimensional representation of the object that clearly conveys its pattern. For example, origami is a fairly simple thing, and many instructions can be found on it.
- Add details. Find an aspect of the object that you can detail. This can be an edge, a shape, or a generic pattern. It is also useful to examine the object under magnification. Observing it at different scales or resolutions can give important clues to determining the dominant pattern.
- Stylize the form. Having identified the dominant pattern in the previous steps, style the object as a black and white vector illustration with a repeating shape.
An example of a simplified and stylized natural template.
Conclusion
The process of turning general information into a certain form of communication creates value for your audience. When you practice your perception of the universal meaning of simple templates, you can successfully integrate them into logo design as simple strategies.
The correct inclusion of templates enhances the message at all levels - starting with a first glance, which gives rise to intuition and interest of the audience. Combining it with symbolism and metaphors, you can add depth to the logo. Another good strategy is the use of simple geometric designs in the design - about this in the next part.
Part 3
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/261345/
All Articles