The Challenge

Peter Evers, marketing and communication guru, as well as good friend, works as a volunteer at the Osteoarthritis and Rheumatism Foundation for 4 hours each week. Currently he is helping in setting up the ‘Better for Joints Foundation’, which promotes the freedom of choice between different alternative treatments next to regular medication, but without favoring either. They aim at providing information to patients suffering from arthritis, rheumatism, low back pain, RSI and some other joint diseases.

Peter asked me if I could spare an hour and see what I could do for them in terms of logo design, as their current logo was not very professionally appealing or representative of the foundation’s purpose. I decided to take this up as a personal challenge and give myself exactly one hour for the complete design process of the logo.

In this article, for your enjoyment, I will describe the design process from start till finish.

The Brief

For the new logo, I was provided with a short design brief that included the required text, preferred colors, a description of what the foundation does, some keywords, and the old ‘logo’.

The old logo is not really a logo but a thrown together combination of a clip-art image with the foundation’s name in Verdana Bold. The preferred colors they specified were turquoise and blue in a couple different shades.

The keywords for the new logo were the following:

• Movement
• Activity
• Smoothness
• Bones / Joints

The foundation wanted to see their (dutch) name in the logo ‘Fonds Beter voor Gewrichten’, as well as the subtext ‘Keuzevrijheid in behandelwijze gewrichtsklachten’ (Freedom of choice in treatment of joint diseases).

Ideation

Since I only had an hour for this logo design process, I allowed myself 10 minutes of ideation and concept sketching time, before picking a concept and start the digital development.

I wanted to work with the movement and activity keywords in a friendly design that was also representative of their purpose of providing freedom in medication choice. I tried incorporating some bone/joint visual metaphors, but decided they were too corny and limiting.

The idea that most appealed to me was that of an abstracted jumping human figure, symbolizing movement, activity and freedom all at the same time, styled enough to not become too generic and anonymous. I decided this was my best bet both in terms of conceptual appropriateness and in terms of feasibility within the given time span. At this point I had 50 minutes left.

Development

I started by creating the stylized running man the way I had it in mind. I wanted it to look like it was leaning forward to imply motion and speed, but I also wanted to keep it abstract and somewhat ambiguous.

Twenty more minutes down the road I had the figure looking pretty much the way I wanted, and was pleasantly surprised that it provided me with quite a unique symbol that did not immediately remind me of another brand or logo, while it was not too abstract either.

For the text I experimented with some italic serif fonts at first, and I used gray as a color since I wanted the text to be secondary to the symbol. The full name seemed a bit long to me so I visually split it up by using a lighter shade for the word ‘fonds’ (foundation), thereby also emphasizing the actual name of the foundation.

So about 40 minutes into the project I was already pretty happy with what I had so far, but felt it could use more improvement. I experimented with relative text versus symbol sizes, positioning and coloring, and also came up with the idea to create a square version of the logo with an abbreviation, which could be great for business-to-business use rather than public consumer-aimed use.

As you can see at this point I took a bit of a chance by spicing it up to a somewhat more modern look by using a subtle gradient and a suggestion of reflection, after remembering that they will mostly be using it in high profile campaigns and online, as well as the fact that they were afraid of alternative treatments receiving negative and dull ‘hippie-like’ connotations.

This last point also led me to change the font to a friendlier and more professional looking one. I decided to change from serif to sans serif, but stay with italics to keep the feeling of movement. Helvetica Rounded seemed to do the job of combining friendly with professional, and provided a nice rhythm that also worked great with the abbreviated version of the logo. The subtext was added, set in light turquoise non-italic Helvetica Rounded, which brought a nice touch of balance and detail to the logo.

I was very happy with the overall look of what I had now, but while finishing the fine-tuning and manual kerning I was struck by another idea that put me on a side track and in doubt a bit. I decided I still had time to throw together a quick test example of my new idea: The same symbol, but duplicated and mirrored. Even though this surely emphasized the foundation’s goal of freedom of choice while providing the logo with more balance and harmony at the same time, it turned out to kill all sense of movement and direction, so I discarded the idea.

I went back to some last turbo-charged fine-tuning while the final minutes were ticking away, and then… Boom. That was it. The hour was up. I sent the previews of my designs for both the full version and the abbreviated version to the people at the foundation, sat back, and enjoyed the afterglow of an extremely productive hour.

Then I suddenly bounced back up from my chair when the next logical thought struck my mind: They are going to ask me for some changes. Of course, it was naïve to think I could create a fully satisfying logo within one hour. But, since I enjoyed working on the logo, I happily embraced the idea of working on it some more and decided, since this was charity after all, to give them another hour for the eventual changes.

Finishing up

When after a few days I received the email with feedback, the remarks were mostly positive, along with some small, predictable things they asked me to change. Here’s the things they stated:

• We are really liking the font and the color of the logo
• We love how you managed to create the sensation of movement
• We like to have the abbreviated version as well
• We are not sure about the sub-text, so could you remove this?
• Oh and we think it looks a bit like a whale, please make it look more human

Eh, wait… what? A whale?

I scratched my head for a bit while I re-opened the files and tried to find the whale. To be honest, I kind of understood what they meant, but then again, not at all. I was a bit upset that they wanted me to make it look more human, thinking they wanted me to add arms or eyes or a head with hair. If they wanted an obvious human-like shape, why didn’t they use their old clip-art logo?

However, the more I looked at it, the more apparent it became. I had created a whale.

I had to make it look more human, because there would undoubtedly be more people with the whale association. So, I went back to playing with the shape of the symbol and tried to find out what made it whalish. It turned out to be the rounded head or upper-body of the figure was the key, and by shaping this more like a human torso I was able to painstakingly turn the whale into a human without the need for adding arms or eyes.

I was quite happy with this. The extra hour also gave me the chance to do more accurate kerning, and balancing and positioning of the reflection as I now had ‘plenty of time’, and that kind of detailing always pays off. Also, even though there is still a small voice in the back of my head telling me the old symbol was better looking and more unique, this new version provided me with a perfect compromise between the client’s wishes and my original concept. The proof was in the next email:

“Hey Mark, we love it. No more comments.”

So, what do you think of the result? And have you ever tried to create a logo in a single hour? Let me know!

Chevrolet Volt Plugged - Photo from Jalopnik.com

Update: October 15th, 2009
Yesterday the E-Laad Foundation was launched. This foundation and their website E-Laad.nl is an initiative of the cooperating Dutch utility companies and aims  at having 10,000 electric vehicle charging points installed throughout the country by 2012.

The charging points they will be using are variants for on the street and in parking garages or other public places. I am very excited to announce that their intentions are to use the charging point I designed for ALFEN as their main product. Therefore we are working hard on finishing the details of the design and aim at starting up series-production in the next couple of months.

Update: September 20th, 2009
Starting October 1st, ALFEN bv will hire me as a part-time product developer, and the project will be disconnected from my graduation assignment. For ALFEN, I will guide the start-up of the series-production and work on the design and development of several product variants.

Update: September 3rd, 2009
The assignment is currently nearing its end-phase, and I am working hard on converting the CAD-model of the new design to a production model. Within several weeks from now, the first prototype will be completed, and as of January 2010 the production of the first series of 1,000 products will start, followed by the production of 3,000 and 6,000 pieces in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

January – September, 2009
Due to the confidential nature of this project, I cannot share much information about the process and the results. However, anything that is not restricted is shown and described below.

Client:

ALFEN bv, Almere
Enexis Infra Products
University of Twente – MSc. Graduation Assignment

Assignment:
Research, design and develop public charging points for electric vehicles.

Date:
January – September 2009

Specifics:
Nine month Industrial Design Engineering MSc. graduation project. Working on research, design and development in a small product innovation and -development team.

C,mm,n - Car of the Future (Exterior)

“c,mm,n is an innovative mobility concept; a new way of developing, manufacturing and using cars. By making the blueprint of the c,mm,n car publicly available under an open-source licence we are able to develop truly sustainable mobility. Just like open-source software, c,mm,n focuses on services around the product. You can use c,mm,n to offer people a lease car, rental car or other mobility services. It is allowed to sell c,mm,n too. Just as long as you make any derived work publicly available again.”

I worked on the c,mm,n 2.0 project in a design-team from the University of Twente. My contribution ended in December 2008, and consisted of the creation of several future scenario’s that were used in the design process, as well as interface development for both the C,mm,n itself and for the interactive presentation of the C,mm,n at the AutoRAI09. More info on the progress will be posted here soon.

Client:
Stichting Natuur & Milieu
Athlon Car Lease
University of Twente – Capita Selecta

Assignment:
Design a mobility concept for 2020 that explores the possibilities provided by emerging technologies.

Date:
September – December 2008

Specifics:
Open-source project that everyone can contribute to. I worked in one of three university-teams for three months.

Smart Shelves - Preview

This project had Albert Heijn (supermarket from the Ahold group) as a fictional client, so the scenarios would have to deal with factors that are important for the retail sector, in which Albert Heijn is active. The question by Albert Heijn is: “What is the future ‘waste-climate’, and what do we need to do based on that prediction?”

Actors and Factors Research

Therefore, the project started by mapping out important actors and factors in an uncertainty/significance-matrix. The most significant and uncertain factors were chosen to create a strategic space, and some significant but more certain factors were also chosen as a base for the scenarios.

Mapping the Strategic Space

The strategic space was used to choose three points for scenarios that would cover most of the future aspects in all it’s different ways, so there would, ideally, be a scenario for every future.

Scenario Trend Analysis

Trends were derived from statistics on the significant factors and were used to predict the scenarios through trend analysis. Each scenario has a different balance of trends and therefore three completely different future scenarios arise.

Ideation Concept Sketches

After this analysis phase, one scenario was chosen to use as a base for a product design. Very different concepts emerged from the scenario, but one was chosen that would be able to fit the other scenarios without too much adjustment (robust product).

Future Supermarket Waiting Lounge Concept

Future Supermarket Layout Plan

The end result is a complete map of a supermarket from 2025, with different elements derived from the concepts. All the different areas were designed up to a certain detail level, but one product was chosen to develop into more detail.

Future Supermarket 'Taste & Experience'

Future Supermarket Lounge Area

The product resulting from the process is the Smart Shelf. The supermarket doesn’t function as a self-service shop, but a single product is presented on the shelves, which can then be ordered by the visitors.

Smart Shelf Visualisation

Smart Shelf Close-Up (Semi-Transparent)

The product is presented behind a transparent screen. From far away the screen takes the texture or image information from the background (denoting the theme), but when the visitor approaches, the product becomes visible, as well as more information about that product, variants, pricing, and more.

Smart Shelf Close-Up (Augmented Info)

The background can be used to group different themes and types of products from far away, or to combine several products on a shelf into a sub-group.

Smart Shelf Themed Grouping

Client:
University of Twente – MSc. Second Year Assignment
Albert Heijn Supermarkets (fictional client)

Assignment:
Design a product for a fictional client of your choice, based on scenarios that equip trend analysis to predict the situation in the near future (2025).

Date:
September 2008 – November 2008

Specifics:
Eight week project in a team with four designers.

(N.W. Hoogendoorn, J.J. Kneefel, T.K.M. Thung)

The goal of this eight week project was to redesign a baby monitor for Philips considering user-emotion, and specifically aimed at the sustainability theme. Therefore, the project started with a research on sustainable design and the emotion connected with sustainability.

Sustainability Research

In the research, an important point of attention was sustainable aesthetic. What makes a product look sustainable, and are these aesthetic characteristics derived from sustainable design methods or do they only exist in the user’s mind.

Sustainable Design Research

A new method was created for creating sustainable products with a sustainable aesthetic, where the sustainable aesthetic neither flows from using sustainable design methods nor is forced upon a product without regard for sustainability, but one where ‘under-the-hood’ sustainability and a sustainable aesthetic are combined to reinforce eachother. Attention was also paid to the combining of a high product quality experience and a sustainable aesthetic.

The paper that describes the creation and application of the method is available for download:

[ Download ] “Combining sustainable aesthetics and a high product quality experience in a sustainable product” (PDF, 216 kb)

Baby Monitor Aesthetics Research

For the product development, several aesthetic and target group mappings and moodboards were created. Also, currently available baby monitors were analysed to discover trends in both technology and aesthetic character.

Baby Monitor Target Group Research

Sustainability Aesthetics Research

After the research and analysis, concept sketches were created which used the brand new sustainable design method, and resulted in a product concept for a sustainable baby monitor.

Baby Monitor Concept Sketches

Baby Monitor Concept Sketches

The baby monitor translates several elements of sustainability into a user-based aesthetic, where the parents are regarded as the user, in contrast to the baby-aimed aesthetic of most other baby monitors. The concept design was then further developed into a detailed design and CAD-model.

Baby Monitor CAD and Detail Design

One of the most important factors during the design process was simplicity and clarity. Therefore, the parent unit consists of a small pant-pocket-friendly device with only three buttons and two indicator lights. The largest middle button is the power button and has a green light behind it, which pulsates when sound is being transmitted, and glows softly when the device is idle.

The left button is the volume button, and cycles between 3 volume levels and a mute (vibrate) setting. The button on the right is used to select one of 3 levels of signal sensitivity. The two smaller LED’s indicate low battery or no signal warnings.

Philips Baby Monitor Redesign

The baby unit is also the docking station for the device which can be used to charge the battery. The baby unit is a very anonymous and low profile product and has no buttons besides the power button.

Baby Monitor Final Design

Client:
University of Twente – First year MSc. assignment

Assignment:
Design a baby monitor for Philips using the ‘Design & Emotion’ principle within a specific theme (Sustainability).

Date:
June, 2008 (completion)

Specifics:
Eight week individual design project.

The goal of this project was to design a gramophone that was the next logical step in the product’s evolution. Using A.O. Eger’s Evolutionary Product Development theory, the history of the gramophone was analyzed and divided into product phases. Then, with these product phases mapping a status quo, the next step in the evolution of the product would be developed.

Analysis of the history of the Gramophone

Analysis of the history of the Gramophone

Analysis of the history of the Gramophone

The gramophone was analyzed from the very first model to the latest and most modern types, and were divided into product phases. These product phases were mapped on a timeline. An interesting discovery was the gap that appeared in the 1980’s after the 100-year anniversary of the gramophone, not coincidentally corresponding with the introduction of the CD-player. However, during the late 1990’s the gramophone started reappearing, mainly as a product for audiophiles.

Gramophone Evolution Timeline

After the analysis, the status quo of the product was mapped, and it was found that the gramophone existed for 3 different target groups today, being aforementioned audiophiles, DJ’s, and what I called the ‘gramophone-generation’. The products for the audiophiles and DJ’s, despite their different aesthetic, do not differ too much in functionality. The products for the gramophone-generation however, equips USB-technology and cheap production methods, and are solely made to provide a way to digitalize old records.

Three Current Gramophone Target Groups

The gramophone-generation was chosen as a target market for this design project, and the goal was to bring back the experience that the gramophone-generation misses so much in modern audio equipment.

Gramophone Concept Sketch

Gramophone Concept Sketch

The concept design transforms the gramophone into a product that’s half a functional audio product, and half an interactive art piece. It allows the user to showcase their favourite records, and provides the experience of spinning records. Besides auditive pleasure, it thus also brings visual pleasure back into the equation, after that aspect completely disappeared after the introduction of the CD-player.

Gramophone Detail Design

Gramophone Final Design

The gramophone is a living-room totem that showcases up to three records, and provides visual pleasure while spinning the records. A single playhead transports itself up and down the structure to make switching records easy.

Special attention was paid to the user interface. The retro looking buttons, knobs and switches add to the nostalgic experience, but provide a lot of control over precision aspects like needle pressure, pitch and and speed.

Gramophone User Interface

To test the top-heavy structure for rigidity, a FEM-analysis was conducted. During this analysis, a lot of attention was paid to the stress at the hinging of the glass door at the side, which led to the conclusion that three hinges were a better choice over only two.

FEM Rigidity Analysis

To gain insight into the properties of the dimensioning, a large real-size model was created. To present the end-result, a 1:10 scale model was built.

Gramophone Scale Model

Gramophone Scale Model

Client:
University of Twente – First year MSc. assignment

Assignment:
Analyze the history and map the status quo of the gramophone as a product, and design the next step in it’s evolution.

Date:
April, 2008 (completion)

Specifics:
Three month individual design project.

This project is the final assignment that would serve as an examination project for the Bachelor-phase of my Industrial Design study.

The project was an individual project for Durner Architects, guided by founder Thomas Durner and Julia Garde from the University of Twente. The goal was to design an interior-related product that propagates the combined vision of both Durner Architects and the designer, and is aimed at improving the living quality of the modern consumer.

Early Ideation Concept

Numerous brainstorms and discussions led to the choice of designing a sofa that would have to improve living quality, provide sitting as well as sleeping functions and would fit the style and vision of the company and designer.

Seen above is the first draft of the idea that was elaborated into a detailed design and eventually led to the final design.

Ergonomics Research

Close attention was paid to ergonomics and proportions were defined to match the majority of the target-group consumers. Also, the functionality was improved and materials were defined.

Defining Global Functionality

Several scalemodels were made to further explore the character of the sofa and asymmetry was added to both provide extra functionality and a stronger character. Also, the different manufacturing concepts were tested in a full-sized proof-of-principle model.

Prototype Foam Scale Model

Full-size Functional Prototype

When the drafts were found suitable enough, the detailing and technical specifications were set up, which then could be converted to a CAD-model.

Conversion to CAD-model

The result is Flip, a modular sofa system that features loose pillows that are soft on one side and have an aluminium surface on the other. These pillows can be flipped to change their function and can also be used as a backrest. The armcushions are flippable as well to provide extra freedom of functionality.

Flip in Standard 'Work Sofa'-Configuration

When fully closed with the soft side up, the sofa can function as a single-person bed, and when fully opened it can be used as a three to four person sofa.

Flip in 'Table'-configuration

Furthermore, the sofa can be fully closed with the aluminium surfaces up, to create a table. One of the foots also contains an extra pillow that can be used as a footrest and the larger armcushion can be detached to serve as a small table or extra seat.

Flip in 'Full Sofa'-configuration

Flip was featured at the ‘Twents Design‘ exposition in ‘De Bijenkorf‘ department store, which ran from August 19th to September 17th, 2008. Following the exposition, the Flip was mentioned in local newspapers T.C. Tubantia and Typisch Enschede, and I was interviewed about the project on RTV Oost Radio.

'Twents Design' Exposition in De Bijenkorf

Client:
Durner Architects, Amsterdam
University of Twente – BSc. Examination Assignment

Assignment:
Design an interior-related product that propagates the combined vision of both Durner Architects and the student, and is aimed at improving the living quality of the modern consumer.

Date:
May 2007 – August 2007

Specifics:
Three month individual project, under supervision of company-founder Thomas Durner and Julia Garde from the University of Twente.