How A Clever Logo Looks Good — And Solves Problems

When your logo design needs an update…

Sydor Optics is a company with cutting-edge technology. They operate the largest collection of double-sided grinding machines in North America to create advanced optics equipment. Yet, in constantly pushing ahead, and advancing technology, some things tend to fall behind — like logo design and brand identity.

Sydor Optics felt it was time for the logo design and brand to catch up with the rest of the company. Zachary Hussion, Marketing Manager at Sydor Optics, spearheaded the effort to redesign their logo and update the brand.

Transforming new ideas into a new logo design

Zachary contacted IDU Creative for a proposal to create a new corporate identity. One that must align with the company’s current vision and advanced, high-tech capabilities.

Zachary met several times with David Wright, Creative Director at IDU Creative. Zachary liked David’s proposal, the process, and the price. IDU Creative was awarded the project.

Some important steps in re-designing a logo

So, to get a feel of the company, David toured the Sydor Optics facility. And he followed some of the most important steps toward creating a logo design and brand effectively. David took the time to carefully:

• understand the vision of the company
• verify management’s goals for the logo and brand
  
• analyze peer and competitor sites
• and verify the understanding of all key collaborators

Afterward, David and the rest of the IDU Creative team went to work. After a week of creative development, David presented some initial ideas about the new logo. IDU Creative used the feedback from management, engineering, and sales personnel at Sydor Optics to refine the logo and branding concepts.

Logo design & branding with personality and purpose

During the process of re-designing the logo, something became quite clear. The “spectrum bar” in the old logo should become part of the new logo. The “spectrum bar” referred to the products they made, but also their dynamic approach. David and the IDU Creative team transformed the design of the spectrum bar in the old logo, into a more dynamic curved-shaped one — with their advanced optical products, which include optical filters, wafers and optical flats, in mind.

Making a logo work, without worries…

When it comes to good design, if anything can cause havoc and headaches, it’s color.

That is, a logo that looks great in print, may not look so good online or in an app interface. And it may look bizarre when embroidered on a jacket — or printed on a product label. Also, adding to the complexity, the new Sydor Optics logo also needed to be used in metal fabrication.

However, having developed hundreds of logos in the past 20 years, David knew that good design solves problems. And this is especially so when it comes to designing a logo that will be used in various ways, in various mediums (online, print, paper, metal, etc.).

A well-designed logo looks good — and solves problems

So to solve the problem, IDU Creative worked their magic and rendered the logo in spot color and solids. Sydor Optics first used their new logo online, with the relaunch of their new website. Then, they began using the new logo in print with new corporate business cards, trade show materials, and print advertising.

For Sydor Optics, the project resulted in the revitalization of their logo, their brand, and sense of corporate identity — without having to worry about hassles and headaches in using the logo how ever and where ever they wanted.

For David and the IDU Creative, it was perhaps just another situation where design know-how and the “tricks of the trade” came in handy. Altough the testimonial that Zachary from Sydor Optics prompted a few high-fives. And it shows how a little bit of feedback and acknowledgement can go a long way.