Logo design for Photographic Imaging College (PIC). I did the previous logo design many, many years ago — it was one of my first projects when I’d shifted focus from photography to graphic design1.
The new logo is based on three key principles:
- Image-making — as opposed to just ‘photography’
- Discussion — talking about image-making processes in person and online
- History — acknowledging where photography has come from, where it is now, and where it’ll go in the future
As photography has largely moved online, it was fitting to design the logo for the digital age. The primary use is on the college’s website (coming soon), and other websites such as Flickr and Facebook. I created a flexible identity, where a suite of icons combine to tell a story. Each icon on its own can represent ‘photography’, but when many icons are seen in one sitting the history of photography can be told through iconic camera/devices. The logo is more than the sum of its parts.
Sixteen icons were designed in total, with accompanying templates to easily add new icons as technology develops and new cameras/devices are made available.
The icons are caontained within a stylised speech bubble, a literal metaphor for ‘conversation’ and ‘discussion’. Further, the speech bubbles represent teaching and learning. The colour of the mark has been more or less maintained from the previous one keeping some familiarity to the college’s marketing materials and collateral.
The font used resembles the machine-engraved text and numbers on many high-quality lenses. it is recognisable as such at a glance by anyone who has an interest in photographic equipment, further solidifying the mark as photography-, and/or image-related.
- …and it shows. Check out the use of Arial and that handwritten font! In fact I proposed this redesign because I felt a responsibility to improve it. I’m glad I’ve learned a thing or two in the past decade :) ↩