Trials and Errors When Branding an Emotion App
As a group, we have been spent 7 months creating a product that can help younger generations manage their emotions in positive ways. Now we are beginning to put a face to the product and it’s proving to be a challenge. Emotions are subjective and they are culturally associated. Emotions, as expected, are hard to visually define. Here is a short snippet into the steps we have made thus far.
V1. A Quick Brand to Get us Through
Earlier in the year, we were asked to pitch our product to a set of judges a the New Venture Challenge in Boulder Colorado. We hadn’t seen begun to create a visual identity for the product and so we needed something fast. A quick research session landed us on a hexagonal shape because of the symbolism associated with it. A hexagon is the most efficient shape in terms of taking up volume, it’s why honeycombs are shaped like this. It worked well enough.
V2. A Much Wiser and Primal Take
As we began to discuss the brand in fuller detail, we were all drawn to nature and the associations emotions have with phenomena found on Earth. From here, we tried out many different directions and takes– there were a lot of options. Ultimately we landed on a pattern that replicated throughout nature. It is the pattern that you see when you cut a tree trunk, on your finger print, and in agate rock. A series of lines increasing in volume from the center.
The brand looked cool. But ultimately we weren’t convinced it was communicating emotions in an approachable way. Also, people see animal print, and that wouldn’t work.
V3. Simple, Open, Maybe even Techy
Currently, we are working with an abstract, modern approach. It implies a sense of tech which makes sense since it is an app. This can also be interpreted as “adding a science to emotions” which is something we are aiming for in this product. As well, it is a culmination of experiences coming together to form something of meaning. And this is the concept that has resonated with us the most.
Right now, the concern is trying to make the logo as legible and simple as possible while trying to include a spectrum of colors. We need to logo to communicate a breadth of experiences since that what emotions are. We are willing to experiment with this logo further to try and achieve that.
Solving problems in the visual world of design always carries its challenges. Trying to find a face to emotions is proving to be one of the tougher ones I have worked on so far. In any case, it is motivating to be working on something that is intended for good.
Solving problems in the visual world of design always carries its challenges. Trying to find a face to emotions is proving to be one of the tougher ones I have worked on so far. In any case, it is motivating to be working on something that is intended for good.
