We need to create a new logo without breaking ties with the old one.
The idea of having a person in the logo is nothing to shun away from. Piling up ideas.
Choosing three designs and showing to the client.
The client chooses the third one. Adding transparency.
Honing the details, creating additional versions of the logo for signs.
Designer: I suggest we use the person from the logo, let him speak to the customers directly.
Art director: The idea is nice, but the speech bubbles on posters are too excessive, they look like chemical formulas.
Choosing the more laconic appearance.
Coming up with design for other media: gift cards, product catalog, price tags.
The client accepts the concept.
Starting to work on navigation. Flying to Perm, taking a close look, photographing and measuring several stores of different sizes, analyzing the current situation.
Currently, there are no common navigation principles, signs in different stores have different sizes, colors and layout.
Offsuit information notices add to the noise.
Studying the architectural concept of the newly built stores. Choosing a color scheme for the navigation to match the interior.
Ultimately arriving at a three-part navigation system:
1. Large departments are denoted by dark friezes around the room.
2. Smaller sections are marked with hanging consoles.
3. The additional green-colored level is reserved for dynamic information such as country of origin of the products, slogans, ads, etc.
First sketches of icons.
Art director: The icons are very different in mass and style. Try to use parallel lines as a basis, the same way you do with the cake. Also, the varying typeface weight on the signs is probably too much for navigation.
Remaking icons, changing the typesetting.
Abandoning the idea of semi-transparent consoles. Trying to remove text from the signs and use only icons. The green color remains only in service zones and on information signs.
Signs on friezes become larger and more concise, the consoles with pictograms die out. The art director suggests painting columns green if scales or a price check point is located right next to them.
The client approves the direction. Sending drafts to Perm for testing in real stores and starting to work on price tags and promotion announcements.
Client (sending a long list): We want to ask you to think about ways to highlight promotions, special projects and our own brands. Trying to do so. Пробуем.
We get a feeling that there are way too many types of promotions. Instead of attracting attention they are going to confuse customers as color splashes will become the dominating elements in the store. Using semi-transparent plastic will decrease the visual noise but won’t improve the situation. Preparing arguments for the next meeting.
Art director: If technically possible, let’s show directions to nearby departments as well (seafood to the left, meat to the right).
Meanwhile, the pattern is done. Trying it on checkout lanes, highlighting the entire checkout area with green friezes and columns.
Putting together a presentation for the complete corporate identity and flying to Perm again where the navigation has already been implemented in the first store.
The client thinks it might be worthwhile to make the ceiling consoles brown to help them stand out against the ceiling. It isn’t: customers need to be able to see not the signs but the information on them.
The client asks to create convertible consoles: departments in stores are sometimes relocated, especially soon after opening. In the hypermarkets the problem is solved with standard replaceable signs.
Trying to improve this design.
Better than before but still visually heavy. Coming up with an intricate triple-layered hook structure.
Meanwhile the client reconsiders their policy on discounts and promotions: their number decreases while their location in the store gets more ordered. The number of colors goes down to three and the maximum number of simultaneous promotions for one product is now two. Retypesetting price tags with these changes in mind.
Assembling the guide and preparing the announcement.
