Amino

Custom Logotype

Logotype re-design for Amino, an app that brings together a network of communities for people’s interests and passions. Each app has its own name, like “Video Games Amino”, “Minecraft Amino” or “Doctor Who Amino” so the logo would need to work alongside an appropriate font for the interest name. The original logotype featured the name typed out in all caps Brandon Grotesque and while the team liked the timeless feel and that it was clear and easy to read, it was a little plain and lacked a sense of ownability.

As part of the planning, I looked at the original font and identified some characteristics that would be interesting to explore (such as heavy weight, low stroke contrast and rounded corners) as well as things that could be different to be more appropriate for a logo (such as a more even balance between the x-height and the cap height and more economical character width).

Sketch Development

I started with very rough skeleton sketches to start thinking about the shape of the letterforms and how they might interact with each other. At this stage, we were also considering all caps vs standard casing with an uppercase 'A'.

Being able to talk over these really rough ideas with the Amino team led us quite quickly in the right direction. The mixed case setting was more appropriate for the fun, welcoming and youthful feel we were after and it also worked well for placing a little more focus on the initial 'A'.

Final Sketch

When I had a rough sketch I was happy with, I scanned it and straightened up in Photoshop, adding rectangle of the same width to create consistent stems and stroke widths (top sketch above). Using this as a base, I drew a final neater sketch for us to review together.

Digital Version

Even with the right concept, there are usually at least a few minor changes between the final approved sketch and the digital version. Here, I rounded off a few of the sharper angles from the sketch: the 'A-m' connecting stroke and the similar junction on the 'n', as well as the top of the 'A'.

Brand Typography

Each interest name would have its own logo, so we also needed to find an typeface that would fit with the overall aesthetic and aims of the brand, as well as with the main logotype itself. Being the specific identifier, the individual name is really what would draw in users so the typesetting needed to have quite a lot of impact, rather than simply be seen as a sub-line.

After exploring a few options, we chose LFT Etica by TypeTogether. It's a sans serif with the modern, clear functionality of grotesques combined with the warmth and personality of humanist typefaces, which helped to bring together the modern, timeless, fun and passionate sides of the brand.

I outlined typesetting guidelines for pairing the interest name with the Amino logotype, covering specifications such as alignment, size and spacing (shown above) as well as general typography use across the brand materials (shown below).

Final Logo

Below are some images of the logotype in use on the Amino app and website.

Ben Anderson, Amino:

“From our first interaction with Claire, we knew she was a master of her craft. She instantly knew the exact font of our current "logo" and quickly broke down the benefits and short comings of the font. Her crystal clear communication made her a pleasure to work with, and her attention to detail and knowledge of her domain produced a beautiful logo that we're ecstatic about. I would strongly recommend Claire to anyone looking for logo design work and hope to work with her again in the future!”