I've redesigned the logo to show more connection between the mother and child and hopefully have resolved the 'heart' form of the logo (which was a requirement of the brief, having been commissioned by Heart of Birmingham NHS...) beyond the bean-like shape of the original.
Had the opportunity to do further reference sketches at this time, which suggested a form where both mother and child could be shown. Initial research has also suggested a much softer, rounded edge rendering would be more suitable to the target audience, along with pastel colours.
Might have a go at tweeking the baby a little bit, but will gain some feedback at this point...
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteI like the lighter color choice, it gives a less formal feel to it.
But the mother looks a bit old, in my opinion, and I could imagin tha the tarketgroup is mothers with their first child and thereby a younger mother.
And there is something about the hair down in the middle, dunno what it is about it, but have you tryed without or with different styles?
Ohh btw I like the way you've changed the shape of the heart...
Cheers Tina
Response from Milan (on email...)
ReplyDeleteHey paul
one positive thing about the new version is it defiantly looks more approachable in terms of warmth between the mother and child! However since it’s a logo it’s most advisable to keep the shape as simple as possible so probably you could negate the white strand of hair falling out (It wouldn’t show when the logo is placed in a small size).
You could also experiment in terms of the message to be conveyed instead of just showing the visual imagery. It currently doesn’t convey the issue to be tackled “women who may want to join to offer their support to other women having issues in this area” or “breastfeeding peer support course”.
You could use typography to get convey the message & still be able to cater to client requirements of the usage of “heart & subject silhouette”.
I’ll be glad if the inputs were of use to you. :)
Cheers
Milan :)
Hi Paul! The logo is looking really nice so far, and there is definitely a great improvement from the earlier version.
ReplyDeleteI do not really agree with Milan when she says that the design should be simpler, as this is clearly an illustrative logo rather then a minimal corporate one, and so the reduced detail does not really apply.
However I agree with Milan on the strap of hair falling in the center, if I were you I would experiment a bit more with its shape, as from my point of view it seems to be the main point of emphasis right now, which I am assuming it should not be. Also the face which Tina has mentioned, maybe you could work a bit more on it (these are just details I am talking about) as it seems to be a bit chubby, and the neck seems a bit too thick.
But honestly the logo is already really nice, so the rest is just tiny details. Nice job!
Oh and by the way, I love your sketches!
ReplyDeleteHi Paul,
ReplyDeleteNice to see your work. I like the color and the combination of people and heart.
I think both Dagny and Milan’s opinions make sense. From my point of view there are too much details in my first eye. Nice to see the details, but they are sharing attentions with the main information which you set to communicate with people.
One more thing, is there any word(course name?) with it?
Cheers
Jason
I like the pale pink colour, and from a printing cost point of view, having the logo in just one colour could be beneficial in terms of NHS budgets. I think it looks especially effective when placed in relief on the full pink background.
ReplyDeleteHowever, my first thought when I saw the new logo was that the breast looks a little unnatural, and moreover the baby doesn't appear to be 'latched on' properly - a fundamental issue in breastfeeding.
Your other sketches showing the baby feeding are much better in this regard as the baby clearly has a wide-open mouth, with a good amount of breast in its mouth (and probably no aureole showing if it were to be visible).
Another thing you might want to consider is that this is a very obvious image of a breastfeeding mother, i.e. you can clearly see the shape and form of her breast, whereas official publications tend to be more modest (for fear of offending those who feel that breastfeeding should be more 'hidden').
Now whether you subscribe to that as a reasonable point of view, or feel we should pander to such views is a difficult balancing act for those working in publicising such services. I certainly don't object to the image, or feel anyone else should either, but I wouldn't be surprised if NHS services would be retiscent to use it for that reason.
Another thought is that while the image certainly conveys breastfeeding, it doesn't necessarily imply anything but the woman doing it on her own, where (as I understood it) the leaflet is all about peer support and encouraging women to support other women to breastfeed? Not sure how you could incorporate that without a major redesign, though.
I think the mum could look happier (more doting) and is still perhaps a little on the masculine side - she has a very prominent nose where it meets her brow!
The baby's hand on her breast is a nice touch.
To be fair, a lot of my comments above are pretty picky - it certainly looks an awful lot better than any of the leaflets I have been given by the NHS about breastfeeding!
Just had another thought about the colour - how does the type being in that colour work for people with limited vision? Accessibility is important when NHS budgets are tight as there's rarely money for two leaflets - a standard one and a visually impaired one, which is probably why NHS stuff often looks so bland.
Thats all I can think of for now! Hope it's helpful.
x
Amber
From Cat, on email
ReplyDeleteHi Paul
Amber sent on your link for comments, so here are mine!
Firstly, as I realised I wasn't actually paying attention to the layout of the leaflet but in fact trying to read it, I would suggest that the new design works very well. It seems to flow and the contact details are very obvious. It also was sensibly laid out into different sections, so would be easy to pick out the bits of info you wanted. The colour blocks will make it stand out, which is always a good thing.
Looking at the previous design of the logo, and the more refined version, I have to say I love the eye contact between the mother and baby. The curves of the heart give it a softness and you have managed to capture a tender expression on the mother's face with only a very few lines that I really love. The baby's hand coming up over the breast is a lovely detail too.
I do have a niggle about the baby, which comes more from me being a peer supporter than a design aspect. One of the most critical things in breastfeeding is "the latch" which is how the baby attaches to the mother's breast. They should take a HUGE mouthful, and with a tiny baby the bottom lip is pressed down almost to the chin. In your sketches the detailed baby on the left of the page looks like he has a perfect latch as his nose is pressed right in - could you possibly change the baby in the logo to be more like that? I think if he just had a wider mouth rather than being a bit purse-lipped it would be more appropriate.
So good luck with the MA! Hope life is treating you well, and take care
Cat
x
From Natalie via email
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool project! Well done Paul- it's really impressive.
As I sit here breast feeding my 4th child (and typing on the laptop - wonder if they teach that on the course? It's taken me years to perfect.) I guess I'm the target demographic.
I like the logo very much. I love the way the infants hand is on the Mum's boob in that cute way they almost cuddle the boob. I think the eye contact is really nicely done and I like the skewed heart look. I also love the way the Mum's hair is hanging down.
My only comments would be is personally I would prefer the upper contour of the Mum's boob to be less, um, pneumatic. Somehow if the line was straight/ less scalloped it would seem less sexualised. On the same theme I think the baby needs to be closer to the boob/ less space visable (but that is a technique thing - this baby would technically have a poor latch).
On a seperate note why do all maternity unit things have to be PINK? Bloody pink. You don't see many adult women actually wearing pink. It's a bit obvious isn't it - Ahh! Women! Must be PINK! They've even painted all the maternity unit and gynae wards pink in my hospital. Maybe they should paint the Urology wards piss yellow and the surgical wards blood red. I'm sure you didn't have a say in it Paul!! (Rant over)
natalie
xxx
Via email from Lamina
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with natalie pink i do find mildly offensive, but thought it was just me. I personally prefer the first drawing of the woman. I like the outline but thought the features were to bold. It did strike me as exclusive as the lady is white. Bet you wished you hadn't asked! but clearly a talented artist.
Via email from Sophie (nee Corrigan)
ReplyDeleteI really like the logo; the heart shape, hand on breast gives the impression of the lovely bonding you get, and the eye contact. I do agree with the others about the baby's position, baby's nose would be a closer/touching mums boob.
I quite like the pink, and as most info related to all things maternity are pink it indicates who the targets for the leaflet are.
Good luck! Sophie