Project Overview

Year

2023

Duration

2 Weeks

Tools Used

  • Illustrator

  • PhotoShop

Scope

  • Logo Design

  • Wordmark

Background

Gummy Bear Studios is a collective of strong, empowered humans committed to providing a powerful space for those who seek an expressive way to tap into source energy. They believe that pole dancing inspires confidence and aim to inspire those wanting to connect to their bad bitch energy.
GBS was started by sex workers and centers sexwork in its core teachings and values.

The founders wanted the logo to incorporate a lot of their colorful personalties and aesthetics, as well as a reference toward touchstones early in their friendship that involved the strip clubs of Reno, gummy bears, rainbows, psychedelics, and sparkles.
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Moodboard

Based on conversations I had with the founders, their pinterest, images they sent me of the signs they grew up around, I added some ideas and created a mood board so we could get a snapshot of the brand.
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Logo & Wordmark for Brand Design

1. I started with some sketches which I then re-drew in Illustrator. The first version didn't feel very connected to the brand, so I created the second version with some movement and personality while maintaining as much minimalism as possible.

2. I narrowed down the typeface to either a more blobby candy-inspired version or an old-fashioned script version inspired by the nightclub signs of Reno, that would evoke the sense of a veneer of luxury. The founders liked the script so I went about bringing the bear and the wordmark together.

3. I knew I wanted the style of the bear mascot logo to reflect the typeface for the brand, so matched the brushstroke to the Tangier typeface. I took the serifs from the "i" in "Studios" and added them to the pole in the logo to further tie the typeface into the bear logo.

4. I then showed them how much flexibility in style you have when you create a minimalistic logo and avoid trends. It has a timeless quality that could have been created in the 50s, yet also feels modern and contemporary. I can see it scaling well up to the size of a giant neon sign, down to the size of a letterhead, and would like great on a website.  It can be shown on dark or light backgrounds and the simple logo makes a great avatar for social media. These are all considerations I make when creating a logo since I spend so much time working with brand logos in my communications design work, that I have learned how much of an asset a truly versatile logo really is.