School project S5 – Beer branding part 1 : The logo

For this branding project we have to develop the visual identity, the packaging and the advertising campaign for a beer. Here is part 1 of the creative process behind this project.

The logo

After several hours of brainstorming an idea came to me. The concept of a craft beer from Quebec was created around the word Yâble (french-canadian slang for “devil”). The devil (Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub), is a symbol rooted in folklore and in the history of Quebec due to the religious authority which our ancestors lived by. The Devil is also the subject of many legends and is often associated with temptation. In the case of this beer, the temptation to drink and the pleasure associated to it.

Instead of a logo, the Yâble will use a word mark (logotype). The letters of the word mark have been reworked to make it more representative of the devil (pointy horns and forked tail). The Y is the most important letter because it will be reused individually later on as the branding strengthen. The overall look also reminds us of the early colonists of Quebec. Scarlet red letters were chosen because it is the traditional colour associated with the devil and because the colour also represent strength and interdiction, two concepts conveyed in this branding.

 copyright Dany Pepin 2011

The Making of «Encore une Fois»

As mentioned in a previous blog entry, I was chosen to design Paul Demers new music album «Encore une Fois». It was an interesting summer project I was looking forward to, but I didn’t expect the album to be redone from scratch. A monstrous task since I was working full time as a support web designer at La Cité collégiale at the same time. So after the meeting with Paul and his producer Jean-Michel Ouimet, we had an idea of the new direction: Paul’s return. I submitted the idea of having a logotype for Paul’s name which he could use later on for different applications including his album. With his blessing, I started to work on different word marks.

Logotype/wordmark sketches

Surface test with the word mark chosen by Paul

Paul really really REALLY liked the wordmark on the vintage wallpaper and he wanted THAT for the cover. I tried several alternate covers to keep the same look as my original cover, but since Paul and Jean-Michel were the artistic directors, I didn’t had any weight in the final decision. Even if you don’t agree all the time, the important thing is that you please the client.

Some of the alternate covers

Website that was never used.

 copyright 2011

School project S4 – Logotype study

This project focused on the design of a logotype for a movie / band / artist / etc. we liked. After hesitating between a couple of movies, I settled on “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” again (i.e. this project) because of the organic and vapory quality of perfume I could exploit for this logotype. Below is the study from sketch to application. If you haven’t seen the movie, rent it.

 copyright 2011