Rebranding // Logo development

Initial ideas

To start off with, I looked at the symbols (pictured in a previous post) often associated with peace, compassion, equality, non-violence etc. A lot of them are very obvious and perhaps hard to transfer into a simple logo (especially imagery with hands in).

From this I've thought deeper into the Peace Party's ideas and policies. I wanted to try out creating symbols that signify unity, connection, and inclusion - as the party is very left wing and very supportive of people struggling in this country, and also minorities. They also believe in our ability to come to non-violent conclusions with other countries, hence connecting in peaceful ways and uniting as one.

Figures holding hands in lines or circles is imagery often associated with equality and unity. I tried to figure out how they could be used in a logo, but struggled to picture something politically driven and of a serious nature.

I moved on to more subtle icons, showing connecting together and unity once again. Having segments overlap and weave through one another signifies this quite well. However, coming up with an effective shape has been difficult.

The initials of Peace Party are PP, so I tried to incorporate these into an icon... which is the easy way out, but I wanted to try out lots of different ideas.  The results were not emotive, and didn't mean anything. I don't want to develop this idea further.

I tried out using a continuous line to create loops that show unity, and also create a symbol of people linked together. I like this idea as its a simple and clever use of negative space, while represented compassion.

I used basic clip art of figures holding hands just to try it out, but found this idea doesn't make a symbol that is effective or suitable at all sizes.

I carried through the looping idea to illustrator by drawing different versions with a tablet. I really like the shapes created, however they are way too informal for politics. They have a similar style as AirBnB, which can afford to be casual and friendly.

I recreated the same idea as a tighter and neater symbol (on the right) - this has more clarity and works better as a political logo. I may consider it, but it lacks body to it as the lines are thin. A box may need to be included around it.

This idea stemmed from my sketches of shapes connecting and overlapping to mean unity and people coming together as one. At first I created shapes overlapping, the rotated and made slight changes to experiment with it.

I prefer it as a diamond orientation, rather than square. I then warped the shape by moving connecting lines to create more dimension to the icon.  This makes it seem stronger and more secure.

Some feedback I've gotten back is that it's the best idea I have, and Alex immediately said that it represented connection and security. He also pointed out that it is similar to a knot that is very strong - adding another level to my concept.

I was also told that my other idea, the loop, looks like scissors or (something rude). It's clearly not as strong.

I experimented with colours and combinations to see what works best. Blue and white - too conservative. All in colour - too heavy and affects the clarity. Hints of green and a small amount of blue - more unique and different. 

I tried out different compositions with the party name, to put it into proper context. I tried to many different ones as more political logos have many to choose from as they need to fit into lots of different contexts.  For now I have used the font Univers, which is very clear and readable. It is a more youthful sans serif font, that hasn't been used by the other parties.

I also tried these combinations with the other logo idea - I have a better feeling about it seeing it in this context. However, I still don't think it is serious enough and gives off playful or childish connotations. But these same features make it inviting and welcoming.

The green box brings it together a little more, but this is maybe a little too green - it seems to drown out the blue.

I decided to try out making the logo more minimal, and try to use little colours as possible, as it currently has black, green and blue. I think the effectiveness of it is taken away when the black outlines are removed, as they define the symbol and make it a lot clearer.

If any, I prefer the simplified symbol where the blue and green are overlapping (2nd in, 2nd down). This further pushes the idea of unity and connection, and uses both colours while staying minimal.

I made the logo black and white in various versions, as this needs to be available to use on ballot papers and other printed mediums where colour is unavailable or too expensive.
Using black squares makes the symbol very heavy, yet makes it stand out more. Black squares used less, make the logo appear differently. So a simple line image seems best.

Final logo in different variations:

I created different variations so that the logo can adhere to different formats, such as web, print, leaflet, ballot etc.

The logo has been created from connotations of equality and unity which suit the policies of the Peace Party, who are strongly against war and violence, and for helping unfortunate people.

Green and blue have been used to signify the environment (something they care about) and to set them clearly aside from labour and conservative. I added a small amount of blue so that they aren't associated with the Green Party, and also because too much of it would remind people of the tories.

These are the black and white versions which can be used on ballot papers and for low cost printing.

This is the other variation of the logo, that is made from a continuous line looping two figures together, to communicate connecting and compassion. The gaps in the loops are to show the different groups of people coming together, who need to work with each other in a peaceful manner.

This logo would be a back up to share with the client, who would make the final decision.

 Made in black and white for ballot papers and print etc.