Client:

B-32 Productions

Need:

The Seattle based B-32 Productions is a small artisan provider of custom concrete and architectural metalwork focused on unique projects. Serving clients from architects and restaurateurs to homeowners, B-32 has thrived largely on word of mouth. APS has been tapped to create a complete branding and marketing package including logo, print materials, catalogs, web presence, and portfolio book to bring B-32’s image in line with its growing business.

Solution:

In depth brainstorming interviews were used to reveal what sets B-32 apart from the competitors, and identify the qualities that current clients value in B-32. From this a guideline brief was written as a map for reinforcing existing relationships and targeting new client groups. This strategic evaluation formed the basis of the logo design process, with the end goal clearly in mind. A quote from the brief:

“Looking for design shapes and sources that would yield impressions of individuality, craftsmanship, creativity, and longevity I began thinking about old tools, how the logos on early aluminum drills were riveted on, what the sign above the mythic craftsman’s shop looked like, or a blacksmith’s brand.  The memory of a metal plate fastened to a tool’s surface, and the shapes of such signs were used as the basis of a design strategy; to develop a mark that looks as though it already has existed for some time but out of place enough to communicate creative awareness and individuality to those who think about design.”

From this approach three main shapes were developed with perhaps 50 versions that were honed into a simple, lean and muscular mark. From this a multi-phase process was developed to create the materials in a series of stages for both creative and budget reasons. This project is currently ongoing and will result in: branding materials, color stationary, note cards, full color catalog, and two independent web sites maintained by APS.

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