Our New Logo System
Rules for the new Learning Machine logo to self-generate.
In 2008, we launched a product called SlideRoom, an applicant tracking system unique for viewing and evaluating portfolios. Today, we’ve grown into a much larger company serving almost 100o enterprise customers across 17 countries. We’re now working on a new suite of products to help education providers operate within the new information based economy.
Over the last year, we renamed the company “Learning Machine” and opened a new office on MIT’s campus to collaborate with them on a variety of new projects. So, we needed a new logo to capture these new realities.
The Design Process
We started with the list of words below:
- Bits & Blocks
- Blockchain
- Algorithms
- Discovery
- Learning & Education
- Data & Intelligence
- Machine Learning
- MIT & Media Lab
The first decision was to choose a typeface. Since we knew that blocks (with pattern potential) would be part of the final mark, we went searching for a blocky typeface. Of course, Helvetica is one of the most “blocky,” which is further enforced by using all capital letters.
We decided to use these letters and shapes as the building blocks for our new logo. The next decision was how to arrange them. We began thinking about how learning is often a process of remaking things for ourselves. By rebuilding something, we come to understand it. So, we decided the arrangement should be suggestive, something to be completed in the mind of the viewer. This would help reinforce that the name is verb: Learning.
We also wanted a simple algorithm to generate the arrangement of these parts. This required finding ways to break down the name numerically so that simple rules could be applied.
The most obvious numeric way to break the name into parts was the sound of the name — the 4 syllables required to say it: Learn-ing Ma-chine. We placed each syllable onto a separate row so that they had to be connected mentally. We also noticed that this formed the suggestion of a block, helping to make the disassembled name feel more like a coherent whole. The creation of rows also formed the beginning of a table, which created pattern potential.
The next useful numeric source was the character count of each row. These were used to generate the location of a corresponding block for each row. A row with 3 letters would start in column 1 and land in column 3. When a syllable has more 5 or more letters, the count restarts the cycle in column 1.
These rules could be used to generate a pattern for any set of words/syllables. Our grid is 4 columns/blocks wide because we want the blocks to create a pattern. If it was 5 or more columns wide, a rough diagonal line would not have looked dynamic nor reinforced an active look. The final result is balanced, looks to be in a state of motion, and also easily readable at a glance.
The Color
The logo can be displayed as dark characters on a white background, as well as the reverse. This provides flexibility around where it can be displayed. We also decided to keep the mark monochromatic because that creates a more serious mood. While many education brands use kindergarten colors, we want to establish a serious mood that prioritizes reliability. Our mark can be used over a single bright color or appropriate photograph, however the use of simple values is our standard. Pure white and black can look a little too industrial, so we decided on a dark blue/grey color that could be used to soften the impact and create a positive form (rather than a void of black).
Midsize
The full logo is blocky and remains readable at smaller sizes, but at some point it loses impact. So, we wanted a logo system that could collapse down into a new configuration after a certain point. We decided that holding onto the L and M would be useful for a midsize logo. Since they are one letter per row, the system demands they each have one corresponding block. The arrangement alternates to help maintain the sense of activity.
The Icon
Finally, every mark needs to have a corresponding icon. This is typically a square and should look good within social media feeds, within product, and whenever a very simple mark is needed. We played with ideals using just an L or just a block, but in the end decided they needed to be collapsed onto each other. While this breaks the strict grid used previously, it succeeds as a single unit that combines both characters.
While this icon risks being a little too simple, it does feel like a natural state of the larger logo system. Further, we understood that the icon would normally show next to a plain text version of our name. Below is an example of how it appears in Twitter’s feed:
On Marketing
We use the full logo across the site and the other icons for our mobile app, social accounts, and other places with smaller displays. The site content will be evolving as products become more mature, but we believe the visual identity is one that will last.
