Logo Type 1.6 - HMV

Evaluation

The purpose of the rebrand was to create an objective logotype that represents HMV’s traditional music history but still keeps it up to date with current trends. From researching into the company, they are losing money so I thought this was a good company to attempt to rebrand. Vignette’s Canon’s ‘Equity’ influenced me to think more about what the company represents and wants from the rebrand. I immediately used Photoshop to begin experimentation with typography because I could quickly get an idea of what it would look like and if I made a mistake it was easily adjustable. I regret this decision as I think I should explore more mediums and processes to get a range of concepts to initially work from. The feedback I received about my outcome was consistent as many people had the same opinions so I can use these to benefit me in future projects. The stylus concept was influenced by the work of Stuoka because I liked the way he subtly manipulated the structure of the create a simple but effective outcome. I had positive reviews because of the subtlety and relation to the company, however it was too ambiguous due to people only noticing it once it had been explained. I feel that I went on a tangent by using a conceptual objective and trying too hard to make it attractive and subjective as well. As a result of this, my designs became very complicated, this was picked up in my feedback due to people preferring my initial designs because they were simpler. People felt the lines in the type weren’t consistent enough in each letter which hurt their eyes. This may also be down to the harshness of the line because it’s sharp and bold against the complicated negative space. I need to stop going into too much depth with a concept and explore more. I was tempted to change the colour scheme to be less overwhelming and reflect the culture behind the business but on the other hand I am pleased I maintained the same colour scheme from HMV’s current brand as I’d risk losing an iconic palette. The vibrant pink helps the stylus concept stand out which will be objective to the new direction of the business. I would have liked to have used a serif font because it’s more traditional, however I took an informed decision to keep it sans-serif because people preferred it. My final design doesn’t represent what I intended to do and the main reason for that was just sticking to one medium and not exploring others. Once again I got caught up in one concept when I should have explored more but I was beginning to run out of time. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learnt from this is to keep things simple and not be afraid to go back on myself. The stylus concept was good but I struggled to make it work because I had so many concepts going into one piece. Stuoka keeps his logo designs very simple which I should have realised earlier. I don’t believe I have improved the brand from the original but I have learnt a lot about typography, such as kerning which I can transfer into new briefs.