The owners of the courses «Programming Academy in Silicon Valley», in response to my proposal to analyze their logo and provide recommendations for improving its perception, kindly sent a link to the graphic files of their brand book.
… In general, their logo is simple, memorable, and one of the best in its market. But the method of «strained creation» of a logo from an abbreviation of several symbols is not very artistic, so it attracted my attention to correct the situation (as part of the constant process of self-improvement in skills and observation).
I admit that I delayed writing the presentation, already for a couple of weeks, and the new transformations I saw with the logo of a respected company, not for the better («they are already sailing»), served as a reason for its speedy completion.
Form
The PASV logo is a transformer abbreviation, so it is appropriate to use a «single-story version» in the desktop version of the site. The logo in one line in the title of the site page should be enlarged to give meaning to the name of the project. The sign will immediately stop resembling an element of the page design attached to the left in the form of iconography.
It is easier for users to read symbols in one line, and with this simplification, and with an increase in the height of the logo, its perception (sensory reflection of reality in the mind) will increase many times. At the same time, nothing new is particularly invented, it is simply using the advantages of two versions of the logo.
The compact appearance of the abbreviation folded in two lines, as if originally intended for the mobile version of the site, which can be expressed in a simple animation in the future.
In the form of a hieroglyph – the logo can completely replace the illustration, or serve as the fundamental lines, forms and frames, which is overlooked today (judging by the pictures in Telegram).
Color and shape
Now about the color scheme of the programming course logo… The simplest and most unambiguous associations with programming are «colored lines of code on a dark background of the monitor screen». The idea is embedded in the Academy brand book, but it is implemented in a completely banal way, which is probably why it was rejected for use. In accordance with this image of the Brand, it is proposed to make an adjustment to the information about the graphic identity.
We will place the existing logo-abbreviation (in two versions) on a colored background, which will favorably enhance and highlight the sign against the general background of the website page or banner, or booklet. The contours of such logo forms are usually set by simple asymmetrical figures of arbitrary shape, with a color fill, less often a gradient.
In our case, it will be appropriate to use a fragment of the monitor window of an abstract device, with an image inside the abbreviation of the company sign known to us (as described above).
Brand Image
Continuing with the theme of illustrating the project, including the sign, the existing two-line logo can easily be imagined as a spaceship…
The courses of this programming academy are aimed at an audience for whom the word “programming” itself is the vastness of the Universe. On one of the audience attraction cards, along with the text “PASV Course Starts”, a worn-out tiny “Rocket” icon is used. The above-mentioned option of using an illustrated logo in the form of a spaceship would find its application here.
Moreover, in accordance with this new idea, which would become a key factor of the brand, it is possible to reassemble the entire graphic component of the marketing doctrine, the courses offered by the academy — the concept of the crew, the team, the membership of the scientific research society and the openness to the new and unknown. There is room for imagination here, both for consumers and for creators in their work — immersing users in educational topics.
P.S.
– Of course, for all this, teamwork is needed. But if we completely reject the proposed improvements to the perception of the brand, through its logo, then, at least, it is necessary to “cut its tail” … There are also many works on the site — really, take it and collect everything together, because everything is in different styles, scattered.
– This is an open dialogue, I am not criticizing, but pointing out missed opportunities.
