Context
ProductAlliance is an online community for product managers and product designers comprised of top product professionals from around the world sharing their insights. This community will have educational videos, articles, etc. It brings together individuals from several different companies for sharing learnings and best practices to grow the entire product industry for the better.
Scope
Brand Identity Design
Logo Design
Project Brief
Skills: User Research, Persona design, Logo and symbol design, Illustration and animation, graphic design, data visualization, content strategy, color theory, typography
Duration: 3 days
Team: Individual
Tools: Paper and Pen, Google Survey, Interview, Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects.
User Pain Points
According to demographic statistics, the products' potential user group is quite young.
User Age Statistics
During to the research, I noticed that most designers and product managers found it helpful to learn from other peers, while there is not a good platform for them to exchange insights.
"I need a platform that can solve my design confusions, attract me to check regularly, and offer me the information I need."
- Fan, Product Designer@Redfin
I usually go to workshops and product schools to learn from others. But at this special quarantine period, I wish there can be some online sessions to share the whole process of developing a new product, or how a product gets market growth rate and the users’ trust.
- Lucia, Product Manager@Amazon
"The Needs of Exchange vs. The Lack of Platforms"
Product Opportunities
According to the survey, most people prefer interactive communication methods, and open, creative but professional tones.
Preferred Insights Exchange Methods
Preferred Insights Exchange Tones
People want to gain knowledge and insights in the aspects of:
What's Expected on the Platform
Persona
Name: Vivia
Age: 26
Occupation: Product Designer
Location: Austin, TX
Vivia is an aspiring product designer who just graduated from design graduate school. She is now a junior product designer at a local startup. As a young designer, Vivia always wants to get design critiques from more experienced designers or to talk with product managers to see if her new idea can be applied to the product. But she is not able to get in touch with many peers in the area. So she hopes that there is a vertical community for product designers and managers who can share their designs and thoughts with each other easily.
Product Moodboard
ProductAlliance Moodboard and Sketch
In conclusion, ProductAlliance should be a platform that is:
Interactive
Communicative
Young
Friendly
Creative
Open-Minded
Casual
Professional
Inspiring
Insightful
Logo Options
According to the research and brand image, I designed 3 logo options.
Logo Option 1
Logo Option 1
The first option manipulates the letter "P" that stands for the initial of the product to an outline of a light bulb. I gave up this option because it is too simple, and a little bit difficult to distinguish.
Logo Option 2
Logo Option2
The second logo option is combining two parts into the shape of a letter "A" that stands for "Alliance". And it also means the interchange of ideas. I gave it up because it does not express for insights and creativity.
Logo Option 3
Logo Option 3
The last logo option is the final one that I decided to go with. The basic shape is a light bulb, and the filament is a bent letter "A" stands for "Alliance", and it can also be seen as the interaction and interchange of two persons or two ideas. I decided to use this option because it is clear, dynamic and fun, and it meets all the brand images.
Typography Options
According to the research and brand image, I chose 3 typography options.
Font Choices
The three san-serif fonts go from casual to professional from top down. I finally decided to go with the second choice because it is a good combination of creativity and proficiency.
Outcome and Future Steps
During the research and design process, I gradually learned how to make decisions according to the brand image and persona, and how to appropriately combine different elements. There are more things that I can do to make the brand more completed, such as doing some user testings to see if the brand identity meets their expectations, and learn more about the brands' history and stories to make better decisions.
-----End of Research -----Brand Identity Below-----
ProductAlliance Brand Identity
Product Goals and Principles
Goals
The primary product goal of ProductAlliance is to build an online community for product managers and product designers comprised of top product professionals from around the world sharing their insights. It brings together individuals from several different companies for sharing learnings and best practices to grow the entire product industry for the better. It also enables networking in a vertical online community.
Principles
1. Open-minded
Any idea is welcomed. ProductAlliance is a place where the user can shout out any ideas without any judgement. It can be seen as an online brainstorming room.
2. Creativity
Creativity is highly spoken at ProductAlliance. Graphic design, UI design, UX deisgn, UX research, product management... The sharing of experience covers all industries that are related to products.
3. Inspiring
We always believe that feedback is the best key to improvement. Let other peers have comments on your works, and help each other learn!
4. Professional
Most users of ProductAlliance are working professionals. So we encourage you to give advice to others with proficiency and respect of others.
Voice and Tone
Voice
ProductAlliance has multiple voices as an open-minded community. But here are some typical voices that we would like to use.
1. Plainspoken
We save professionals' time by offering easy understanding and clear designs as well as user experiences, so that the users can focus on the product more.
2. Professional
There may be occasions that you will encounter some professional terms or wordings on ProducAlliance because we suppose our users have some knowledge in product design and management. However, you are always welcomed to look up those terms on our help page.
Tone
Casual
Wear a T-shirt, sit back and have a cup of coffee. Communication on ProductAlliance is like a talk among friends in a happy hour.
Typography
The typography we use is Lucida Grande. It is a good combination of being casual and staying proficiency. We also use Lucida Grande Bold in headlines.
Typography: Lucida Grande
Color Palette
ProductAlliance use daisy yellow as the primary color and other warm dark color as functional colors for text and buttons. Lighter background colors and accent colors indicate creativity, youth, and energy. Contrasting colors such as blue and purple indicate professional attitudes.
Color Palette
Logo and Wordmark
The basic shape of the logo is a light bulb, and the filament is a bent letter "A" stands for "Alliance", and it can also be seen as the interaction and interchange of two persons or two ideas.It is clear, dynamic and fun, and it can stimulate the creativity and communication.
Logo
Margins and "Do Not Dos" of the logo
Margins
Do Not Do 1
Do Not Do 2
Do Not Do 3
Wordmark Versions
There are 3 versions of the logo and wordmark, which are used for website and banner, narrower spaces, and dark backgrounds.
Long Version (Default)
Shorter Version
Dark Version
Illustration, Animation and Photography
Illustration
The illustrations on ProductAlliance are simple, clear, and colorful. We use simple lines and shapes to tell complicated stories, and to make the reading experience more relaxed.
Animation
The animations are based on our illustrations with some spices to make the user experience more immersive, dynamic and interactive.
Photography
We believe that photography is a good way to tell visual stories. We use high resolution and quality photos to show how product designers and managers work and to show their works. We choose photos are insightful, expressive and empathetic.
Photography Example 1
