Overview
WSO2 is a tech company that was looking for a new visual brand identity. Redesigning the company logo was a part of this project. I worked in a team of 5 designers, where each of us were asked to create our own logo that was later presented to the executive leadership team for the final decision. My logo ranked at 3rd place.
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Concept
Every developer is an integration developer
Timeline
Dec 2019 - Jan 2020
The beehive, an inspiration from nature
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My starting point was the concept of integration, the area of specialization of the company. One of the best examples of integration, integrated structures, and teamwork from nature is the beehive. Bees build the beehive as a team and create honey, the product. Honey is available both for free and at a cost.
Developers, too, work in teams to create technology products. One distinguishing feature about WSO2 is that it’s an open source tech company - meaning that the source code is freely available. Using this analogy, I interpreted the bees as developers, the beehive as the company, and the freely available honey as the open source products.
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Beehive, the logo inspiration
Logo
This is the logo that I created, using 2 polygons that are similar to a beehive.
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The logo has 3 shapes. These three shapes originate from 2 polygons that symbolize integration. (In slide 4, you will see how I developed the final logo using two polygons that are similar to a beehive)
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Focus on the blue area and you will clearly see the “negative space” with the hidden “W.” This signifies openness and the free movement of ideas.
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When coding, the symbols “</>” are commonly used. Visually, it resembles 2 triangles separated by a slanted line. I’ve reflected this is the logo.
WSO2 logo redesign
Logo development
Logo symbol
The logo symbol can be used independently of the typeface. Over time this will become more distinct and represent the company without the need for type.
WSO2 logo icon
Color palette
Color theme
Consistent use of color enhances the strength of the brand identity. Blue is the primary color for the logo. Yellow accompanies blue. The balance of these 2 colors is important to complete the palette.
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A secondary palette helps to add greater depth to web and interactive applications. This palette complements the primary brand colors (not replaces them) and provides further color variation for communication.
Blue is a color that is favored by many people, as per color psychology for marketing. It’s often viewed as a non-threatening color that can seem conservative and traditional. Blue is described as peaceful, tranquil, secure, and orderly. It’s a color that’s commonly used to decorate offices because research has shown that people are more productive in blue rooms.
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Yellow, on the other hand, is an attention-grabbing color. It’s the most visible color. Many people regard yellow as a bright and cheerful color.
Color usage
The use of the colors must be carefully considered, as the brand colors are subtle in saturation and hue.
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Preferred color treatment: Primary logo in yellow on a field of blue
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Negative usage: Grey logo on a black or white field OR dark grey logo on a light grey field
Icon styles
Each item uses extremely simple line weight icons. These don’t need to tell the entire story and represent a concept, contrasting it from the rest.
WSO2 icon style
Typography
The WSO2 identity consists of custom adjusted typography. However, a set of secondary typefaces is used on accompanying brand materials. I selected these typefaces to create a consistent and strong identity.
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Body and text copy: Two bold weights of the Montserrat font, a versatile font family
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Headlines and subheadings: Public Sans font
Typography
Logo usage
Social media
Cover and profile pictures
The logo symbol works for social media profile pictures. In this example, I used a black and white generic cover image with a yellow colored logo with the typeface. This application emphasizes both the logo symbol and the logo with the typeface.
Branded merchandise
T-shirts
The logo symbol is ideal for branded t-shirts, as simple designs work best in these instances.
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Bottles
The complete logo (with the typeface) works well for bottles because this is an object that people use frequently. Hence, it’s an ideal way to promote the logo.
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Laptop stickers
Many developers have laptops filled with stickers! It’s best to use the complete logo in yellow color for laptop stickers to ensure that the logo stands out anywhere.
Advertising
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#1 Banner
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It’s best to use simple designs on banners as it helps to grab attention and enables people to remember the message easily. In one example, I used the complete logo in yellow and the tagline in blue.
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#2 Banner
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In crowded places (such as an industry event), it’s best to use a yellow color banner to stand out. In this example, I used blue for both the complete logo and text.
Other marketing collateral
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Website
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I preferred to use green color for links. According to color psychology, most people feel that green is a safe color. Green also symbolizes new beginnings. With these qualities, it’s better to use green for the CTA and links as well.
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Business cards
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I used corporate colors for business cards and especially highlighted the icon.
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Social media timeline banners
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I used corporate colors for these banners and the text in all caps to highlight the message.
Reflections
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, once said that:
“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
We have to help people remember the brand and one of my top priorities was ensuring that the logo is both highly visible and memorable. This project provided a great opportunity for all the designers in our team to showcase our talent collectively and individually. What was interesting about this rebranding initiative was that the company only expected ideas for a new logo. Yet, as a designer, I explained my thinking process thoroughly, what influenced my design, and provided a better understanding of the new logo and its usage. Even though we couldn’t proceed further with this project, it was a humbling experience for me nevertheless as it helped me to reflect on how much technology and design can impact an individual’s life decisions.