Final logo superimposed on a wall (mockup)
For this project, I was given the task of creating a graffiti-styled logo design for the client's up-and-coming Italian ice business. I was given a fair degree of free reign, although the client favored multiple colors used for the lettering.
I wanted to create a graffiti-styled logo in a way that was respectful to visual customs found in graffiti culture. Looking at graffiti artwork online, and even without a trained eye, it was fairly easy to tell when a digital graffiti piece was made without adequate visual research into motifs typically employed in such work—there is a fine line between bubble letters and something that is more evocative of graffiti.
I do not claim to be a part of graffiti culture, but with logos or other front-facing designs, I believe people gravitate towards authenticity, so I felt it was my obligation to—at the very least—give this design the proper preliminary research it and the client deserved.
Final logo design
Early iteration
On the left, (or above, if you're looking at this vertically on a phone) is an early version of the final design. At the time, I believed it was adequate enough to present to the client, but when comparing it to the final version, the discrepancy in quality becomes apparent, notably the how it reads (it gave more "happy birthday" than the slickness the the client was going for with their brand).
In the following iterations, I researched wildstyle graffiti to use as inspiration for the visual language of the final logo, with subtle stylings (mainly in the contour and "ICE" elements) reminiscent of sports logos.
Sketch of the final iteration done in Adobe Photoshop before being brought into Adobe Illustrator for cleanup.
Iteration with wildstyle graffiti stylings, with single-color letters and thinner line weight. Individual letters and line weight were changed to increase readability, especially for smaller resolutions (i.e. social media post on a phone).