Anelor

Branding a sailboat

Logo design for a renovated traditional wooden sailboat, originally built in 1961. Moored in a town on the western coast of France, it had recently been awarded a National Heritage certificate and is used by a group of volunteers to introduce people to the sea and sailing via the Coques en Bois association. The goal was a logo-type to reflect the distinctive social and historical characteristics of the boat.

I researched various alphabets of different time periods and in a range of styles, paying particular attention to the uppercase 'A' as being the initial letter, I wanted it to set the tone for the rest of piece. From the beginning, it was particularly important to keep in mind the purpose and intended use of the logo as it would need to reproduce correctly in various contexts (mediums, size, etc.) without any loss of detail or legibility.

Developing & refining

I played around with different styles and ideas, from dynamic and quite casual lettering to elegant and restrained calligraphy. The approach I felt was most appropriate was somewhere in between; a classically-inspired design with a modern feel. The 'L' for instance with its distinctive curvature and lachrymal terminal takes its influence from the forms of Renaissance italic scripts. At the same time, the dynamics between pairs such as 'A-n' have a distinctly more modern tone. The overall style remains strong and clean without dramatic extremes in stroke weight or contrast to allow the design to work well in a range of sizes and on different materials.

Further Applications

To accompany the logo, I wrote and designed a small book (paperback, 32 pages, 180 x 180 mm) explaining the background and historical influences behind the logo, the design process, proposed use and applications, etc. I then designed a flag for the mast, crew t-shirts, caps and more recently, a slight adaptation of the logo for the side panels of the seating area.