Earlier this year, I was tasked with creating a square (2x2") sticker design for the commercial contractors under Linn-Mathes. It was for a 26-story residential tower building project called Solstice on the Park, which currently under construction and located in Chicago, IL. I was told by my Client that it is a bit of a ritualistic process for him to pass these stickers out to his crew before every new project for their hardhats, so I was both honored and excited to be able to produce this design for them to sport!
Draft 1 - Early Stages of Conceptualization
After sketching a few simple ideas (which mostly involved playing with typography), I figured the usage of symbolism would do my Client best on this Sticker project. So, I developed a word bank for brainstorming purposes: construction, building, tools, diligence, handyman, service, crane, forklift, carpenter, hardhat, etc.
Boom! There it was for me, "Hardhat" was the winner. Initially, I worried if maybe making a hardhat symbol on an actual hardhat was too much of a redundancy, but my Client happened to love it (as much as I did).
Still, we had some more work to do! Honestly, I'd feel a bit guilty if I designed a "Hole in One" logo where the first draft was a hit -- I always want to challenge myself to go further (but designing great concepts on the first try is not unheard of).
Moving on.
As a rule of thumb, I make a conscious effort not to fall in love with any of my drafts, as Clients could verbally shred them at any moment. On top of that, I don't want to pigeonhole my design process into just one idea.
My Thought Process - Figuring Things Out
As with every project, I typically start conceptualizing by doing my research. That includes reading about the company/person i'm designing for, their color scheme, principles, mission statement, portfolio, and especially, branding guidelines. Although the guidelines for this Client's design were simple, I made sure to stick with the color scheme of the company they worked for, in order to help the rest of the design better complement their logo.
Image courtesy of linn-mathes.com
Draft 2 - The Subtle Evolution of the Design
The Client had requested a few small changes to the 2x2" design. He felt that the first drafts called too much attention to the silhouette of the man's head. After making the change, I agreed that it made sense in my head. I believe that illustrating the silhouette caused me to look at the sticker as a coin, where the heads take up most of the space.
This new change allowed for more design elements to be added, like the shape of the building project itself (lower left hand corner).
The Architect's Website - References & Research Continued
As aforementioned, research is a huge part of any design process. So, I gathered as much information about the project in my initial interaction with my Client, and the name of the actual project site was of great significance. I was provided with the website of the Architect's company.
From there, I gained the idea that with all that extra space from minimizing the head, the building would be a good fit (as pictured in the design above - Draft 2).
Image courtesy of Studiogang.com/project/solstice-on-the-park
The Final Design - Client | Designer Satisfaction
After providing my Client with a few solid drafts, we came to a final design as shown below. All that had to be done this time was to have the additional companies removed from the sticker design, and for the main logo to be emphasized. This was an easy fix to the design (yes!).
After applying the requested changes, this draft became the final result; a finalized image that we were both proud of, leaving me with yet another satisfied Client!
2 x 2" Hardhat Sticker - Designed in Adobe Illustrator CC. Brandon Hadnot. 2017.
Overall, I really enjoyed the small, but valuable challenge this project brought to me. I hadn't gotten the opportunity to create something on such a small scale before this, so it was exciting to do so for a team of contractors who would wear it while building such a huge object. It was truly an honor to be able to serve them in this way; to have them all wear the same sticker, which added to the cohesion of their team! See what I did there?
I can't wait to see the finished product of all of the hard work from their side!
Thanks for reading!
- Brandon Hadnot // Graphic Designer
