Chew Design recently completed work on graphics for Challas Spit and Hog Roast. It’s a new company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They required design work from the ground up, everything from logo and company graphics right up to fully functional website.
South African Connection
Challas were clear right from the start that any design solution should strongly suggest a deep connection to South Africa. The director of Challas himself, Charl Marais is South African and he has set his catering company up on the assumption that people in this wee country of ours might just appreciate a little bit of South African styled cuisine.
The logo was a good place to start. It features golds and deep greens as well as imagery of animals native to the region. Its a strong identity infused with notions of a traditional view of Africa and a hint of modernity in the font choice. Such a strong concept was easily brought forward to further design requirements for this company. Stationary, leaflets, banners for the market stall and menu boards all benifited from a grounded strong identity agreed and developed at the start of the project.
Strong Brand
The website carries the Challas Spit and Hog roast brand with an air of playfulness. This is a catering company which aims to target events such as private parties, corporate and sports events. The website had to look fun and user friendly yet ultimately professional at the same time. Layout was the key. We kept things simple. The end result is a website which is effective and definately user friendly.
Visit www.challasroast.com for a peek at the end result.
March 03 2010 | Xtra | No Comments »
This Year’s Eurovision logo uses the usual generic design as the official identity complete with Russian flag. The interesting design this year comes from the sub logo, a “fantasy bird” which takes full advantage of color. It comes from Red Square Productions, a company the host Television Channel One recruited to take care of the contest’s graphics.
Raising the bar?
It is definitely the most interesting sub logo yet and comes after last years interesting design from Serbia which some might say raised the bar a little. Like Serbia’s Confluence of sound logo the Russian design takes its origins from its host Country. The Serbian logo was based upon the Confluence of two rivers meeting in Belgrade, a convenient confluence of sound. The new Russian “fantasy bird” logo could be a reference to Russian folklore and the stories of prophetic bird people such as Gamayun, Alkonost and Sirin.
Versatility is Key
The logo has been widely distributed already and is fast becoming a hit amongst fans. It can be applied on various colors and surfaces both in parts or in complete form. It will of course be seen during the Eurovision Song Contest this year as well as on the official website and various other associated media. One definitely to watch out for!
Generic Eurovision Song Contest Logo for 2009
Eurovision Song Contest Sub Logo for Russia 2009.
Prophetic Bird Gamaun from Russian folklore.
Eurovision Song Contest Sub Logo for 2008, Serbia.
May 13 2009 | Xtra | No Comments »
I always look forward to checking out the new Eurovision Song Contest’s graphical approach year on year and this May is no exception. It is wonderful looking back at the various logos which have represented each contest throughout history. From the very first logo right up to Russia’s wonderful graphical approach this year and Belgrade’s Confluence of sound logo in 2008, Eurovision logo design has always been a good indicator of the trends and styles present in graphic design at the moment.
A Confluence of graphics?
Belgrade’s logo for the Eurovovision Song Contest in 2008, featuring an artistic and colourful musical cleft splashed with paint is a great example of methods and common approaches popular in design studios today. It worked well as a static object but also held its own with the various moving imagery and melding graphics associated with the postcard screens during the contest.
The future of the Eurovsion Logo
Things have become very graphical and illustrative for the Eurovision logo and this year’s design from Russia is no exception. It is definitely quite similar to last year’s logo and will undoubtedly become a cutting edge example of what is possible in logo design for 2009. So what will happen to the Eurovision logo in the future? It will still be around but I can’t say or even speculate how it will look. One thing is certain though. It will probably continue to reflect the methods and styles being showcased and experimented with by various designers as time ultimately progresses.
5 great Logo Designs from Eurovision
One of the original Eurovision Logo Designs. A good indicator of how long this contest has actually been running for!
1993 Logo for the contest in Ireland. Manipulation of lines and simplicity are key.
1997 Eurovision Logo. The star is becoming a common element. Musical intruments inspire the logo design.
Back to basics with the logo for the Denmark contest in 2001.
In recent years the Eurovision Logo has become standardised. It features the words “Eurovision” and a heart in the middle with the host country’s flag. Various countries still like to stamp their mark on the contest and hence unique logos such as Serbia’s in 2008 surface and become popular.
The Russians have approached the logo design for the contest equally as vibrantly for 2009.
May 10 2009 | Xtra | No Comments »
The Twitter bird logo is one fine example of how logo design can change over time. Sure, there’s the standard icon set available. Download the vectors, grab the Png file and resize the image for your blog or website. But it seems that Twitter’s faithful just aren’t content with this. Many have decided to produce Twitter icons and logos themselves.
One Logo, Many Variations
I have never seen so many different variations of one logo! They are all different and unique to the user that created them. Search google for a twitter bird icon for example and you are bound to come across a large number of different looking tweeting birds which are free to use anywhere you like.
It seems the general public have fallen in love with twitter and as a consequence they have a deep love for the symbol of this relatively new website. Twitter is now well known for changing the face of social networking. Information is more personal. It is fast, intuitive and sometimes even silly. Could Twitter also be responsible for a change in attitude towards logo design?
Is the attitude towards Logo Design changing?
We all know and respect the logo design formula. You visit a well respected website which has been carefully branded to the hilt. You accept that brand and learn pretty quickly to recognize it next time you see it. I guess that’s why it is there in the first place. But what happens when, next time you visit that site the branding has been changed or you decide to change it yourself?
That’s exactly what has happened over at Twitter.com. Visit numerous blogs which conjure up Twitter updates from different people. You will very rarely come across a similar logo or icon branding this piece of hearty news. The rules of the Internet are being rewritten yet again and it seems that Logo design isn’t immune to such changes.
I do wonder if this craze will catch on. Imagine people willingly redesigning such famous branded websites such as BBC News, the Guardian or even Facebook. Would it matter? What’s the value in having a consistent brand? Recognition for one. Check out these weird and wonderful twitter Logo creations!
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April 17 2009 | Xtra | No Comments »
Tweet Photo, effectively the next hottest thing since twitter has asked the masses for a new logo to promote itself with. The company is looking for Twitter users, who will effectively become their core customers, to provide feedback and vote for their favorite design.
The closing date for graphic designers to submit their logo into the contest is April 14, 2009 at 12:03am GMT. Many companies are now “crowdsourcing” and its proving to a be a cheap and effective way to get the best design out there.
Twitter Crowdsourcing
Twitter is no stranger to crowdsourcing. Twitter effectively did crowdsourcing with its bird design, purchasing it for $10 to $15, an iStockphoto spokeswoman told wired.com. According to Rodney Rumford, Co-Founder of TweetPhoto, “There’s no better way to engage your customers than to have them design and vote upon your creative needs.”
Crowdsourcing is a simple concept. Twitter asks for a new logo and send out thousands of invitations to its users and designers. Those people recognize the benefit of producing what will be a world famous logo and send through their best work and ideas. The result? A definite excellent logo one would hope!
Instant Classic?
Take twitter’s current bird logo. Its simple and arty and the best thing about it is the fact that its fast becoming instantly recognizable on any website it is shown. One could even go as far as to say that the Twitter logo even enhances a website, making it look more cool, happening and with it.
I’m guessing Twitter gets a lot of responses for this logo request. Hell, I’m even tempted to enter an idea myself. You know what they say. If your not in you can’t win! Good luck to us all!
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April 06 2009 | Xtra | 2 Comments »
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