ABOUT

Almost three years ago, I created the logo for 8 Billion Minds. Since then, I've been in charge of the brand identity for 8 Billion Minds, making adaptations every six months to make sure it's up to date

My original task was the logo. After talking through the brief with the CEO & the Lead Graphic Designer, I created a mind map, which helped to start developing some concepts ideas. For the next meeting, I had sketched several concepts to narrow down the idea for the logo.

The developing process started in black and white so that the focus was on the composition. Once the team agreed on the design, the last step was putting together three colour schemes for the team to consider. I then implement the chosen colour scheme.

The logo was the starting point for creating the Brand Guidelines, as I now had a range of colours and a font. The first step was researching Brand Guidelines to create a list of requirements.

The logo rules were the first things to write down, including the spacing/exclusion zone. The height of the B is the point of reference as it is reliable no matter the size of the logo. Other rules are to ensure that the logo is consistent throughout the brand.

For the brand colours, I used the opacity feature on the different colours while having a white background to make sure the different shades were consistent. The colours also needed a darker version; I used the multiply blender to make it uniform.

For the typography, the IBM Plex Sans made a good starting point as it was used on the logo and was from google fonts. Which means it is easy to integrate into the site and free to download. To liven up the typography, I searched/experimented with fonts and weights to make the typography pop.

After gathering and organising all the information for the guidelines, it was time to create the layout and design in a way the made it easy for the team to understand. Over the three years, I have made mostly small changes to clarify a few points to help prevent misinterpretations. I've also added a few things that the team needed, for example, shades of red as the team found there was times they need to use red in infographics (e.g. flags). Now I have a great understanding of what a company needs in a Brand Guidelines in the long run.