Sketchy Beans Identity Concept

Brand Identity
Logo Design
Concept

Client: James Martin

Date: 08.12.22

Sketchy Beans - A sanctuary for creative professionals

This was a portfolio project that came about after I completed the Logo Legends Course by James Martin, aka Made By James. The design brief that was provided by him at the end of the course was a great opportunity to put all my learnings from the course in regards to the creative process to the test. The goal of the brief was to create a logo/brand identity for a new creative coffeeshop/workspace that really focuses on maximum concentration so creative professionals can create their best work without being constantly interrupted.

My design has been featured on an article from Design Rush. Go check it out here

No items found.

Want to work

with me?

Sketching Process

Sketchy Beans, or Sketchy Bens?

The first sketch shows the direction I decided to go into. I wasn’t satisfied with it yet though. I found the „Beans“ to be disproportionate to the „Sketchy“ part and there was no letter that could be used as the required symbol. In addition to this, the word „Beans“ looked more like „Bens“ since the „a" kind of drowned around the other letters.

Not quite there

This one made me excited, as I slowly felt like moving in my desired direction with this design. The word „Beans“ was clearly readable now, and the play between upper- & lowercase letters brought a welcoming, fun and energetic vibe to the emerging design. The only thing missing here? The standalone symbol that can be used as the logomark.

The final sketch

This was the final sketch before I vectorized the design. I came up with a lowercase "N" in which I incorporated a pencil that emphasizes on the creative work aspect of the business. Of course, it's a place to get great coffee too, but it's not the main reason for the business to exist. It's creativity, focus and work.

Colours

The brief stated, that the color palette that would be used for the design and inside the workspaces shouldn't be drawing too much attention and be more on the muted side. I found the combination of a light, pale green as the background color with a grayish, more saturated blue to be a great combination. The colors work together harmoniously and promote a focused work atmosphere in which creative professionals can thrive.

Typography

It's in the details

The brief said, the business is best described in terms of fun/focused, edgy/energized, approachable/welcoming, unique/different, calming, yet super creative. I decided to mainly focus on the aspects of fun, focus and being approachable & welcoming, as I found those words to be the ones that most people would feel attracted by. And it's important to focus on the key aspects instead of trying to cram everything into one design, as by trying to say everything with it, you say nothing at all. By combining lowercase with uppercase letters I created a fun type that feels welcoming and approachable. I wanted the design to be fun, without looking childish so I refrained from using smileys or other funny symbols.

Versatility = longevity

Any logo that ought to work for a long time should be able to grow and shrink depending on where it will be used. I created a versatile custom type that can be stacked on top of each other, put next to each other, and in places where none of these options work, the symbol of the "n" with the hidden pencil can be used. That way, the business is set up for optimal use of their logo across all platforms, aiding them in creating brand awareness for their business and a guaranteed way to be recognized by people.

A hand-drawn touch

The brief stated, that an illustrative touch should be added to the type, if one chooses to go into that direction. As I did go into this direction, I drew the design on my iPad and imported it into illustrator. By using the image tracer tool, I vectorized the design which creates imperfect edges and lines, giving every letter a hand-drawn feel. This also adds to the welcoming vibe of the type as the letters have a very organic aesthetic.

Ready to start a project

together?