The particular challenge in this process was building on a previous iteration from another designer. Although most designers like to start from scratch, it’s always good when clients have a vision of what they’re aiming for. The previous designer refers to her concept as The Box. As she describes, “People need to be shown that they’re in a box and then broken out of it. That is what The Coleman Nation will help do and what this concept conveys.” She also noted that the simple lines and bold type make the concept reminiscent of classic TV & web-based shows, which is why I kept thinking of The Home Depot logo and that old sitcom, Home Improvement.

When I stepped in, it was initially to help develop the visual language for the brand. I was made aware of other elements the client would like to see, such as: mountain ranges, rivers, a specific lean toward shades of blue, etc. When I had everything in front of me I definitely didn’t think I had enough to work with. Inevitably, though, the best decision was to further develop the logo. My first thoughts of The Box concept was that there were a few things present that I could work with. The meaning and reason for the concept was solid. The visual could still be improved upon, though. The first version was a box, which didn’t tie in with landscapes or mountains until she rotated it. In that version, I could see a peak and it worked better for the type, but it looked more like a diamond.

From there I started to think harder about the name and meaning behind the brand. The name itself is a play on the word “culmination”; culmination of what, though? The client’s view of the nation? How could we all share in this view? At that point, I thought of using the diamond as a window or viewfinder from which we could look out and see what the client sees. That presented an opportunity to use the idea of a landscape, which the client liked. The border around the illustration remained bold and provided the proper balance. The text was also still breaking out of the box. There was an insistence on using shades of blue, which exude a sense of purpose and trust if used correctly. The client loved it and I was able to build everything else from there.