Logo design for documentary photographer Lyndsey Goddard

As a graphic designer I love working up new logo designs for people, so when Lyndsey approached me asking if I could help her come up with a new identity I simply couldn’t resist!

Lyndsey works throughout London and the South East photographing and documenting weddings, pregnancy and families in a discreet way, capturing the very spirit of a special day, telling the story of the day through pictures.

Design brief:

Having used Lyndsey’s services myself at my own wedding I have enjoyed keeping in touch and following her latest work and news. Lyndsey approached me asking for guidance and advice on how she could improve her logo to give her more of an ‘identity’ in such a competitive industry.

Lyndesy’s website is a wonderful showcase of her work, with striking blacks and greys, she was after something that would soften the overall look without weakening her identity. I have always very much liked the simplicity of Lyndsey’s existing logo however I could understand her desire to look into something that would give her more of an identity.

Existing logo:

What I came up with:

Being highly creative and visual herself, Lyndsey already had in mind the sort of logo she wanted however she didn’t really know what the logo would be until she saw it so I started by advising Lyndsey on where she could go with her logo.

I felt, knowing her work she didn’t need something with a camera icon or the standard typographical logo, she needed an icon that would work well both on it’s own and as a unit with the typographical element which would be the company name.

Nine options were created, each with an icon followed by the name of her company. The one option that came to mind very early on whilst coming up with the initial designs was actually the option Lyndsey picked for the final design. Having received paperwork from Lyndsey in the past her signature always stood out to me and in my brainstorming session I thought to myself what would be better for someone who really creates something for others and documents something so personal to actually document ‘her’ identity within her company identity and that is how the final design was born!

Inspiration behind the icon:

The signature was taken into Illustrator, redrawn and expanded to turn into a vector file. A few options I came up with had the signature icon on it’s own, or boxed. I also had a few other designs with ‘LG’ icons within circles and it was at the second stage of design presentation that Lyndsey’s creative side came out and she asked to see her signature option within the circle as opposed to the square I had placed it in.

This worked beautifully and combined the camera lens element created by the circle with the personal touch of Lyndsey’s signature. I didn’t want her signature ‘contained’ within the element so the ‘y’ was left to trail outside of the circle to give the icon a more fluid look as opposed to a rigid shape with another inside.

In this day of both online and offline design, the logo also needed to work well across all areas, stationery, any marketing material, social media and of course on a website. By creating a logo that had a strong independent icon, Lyndsey has the ability to use this on it’s own or with with it’s typographical element. The icon can be used on both black/grey backgrounds and also on a crisp, white background of something like a letterhead.

The colour of the logo was one Lyndsey had firmly in mind and I think it is this ‘dusty pink’ that adds the final touch, creating a logo that is striking yet elegantly softened…

Design evolution of a logo – existing logo to final design:

I am pleased with the final logo and am so pleased to have designed and created this for Lyndsey. It was such fun to design and to design with someone who is so creative herself. I look forward to keeping in touch with Lyndsey and very much hope to work with her again should she ever need anything.

What Lyndsey had to say:

I recently approached Jessica for a new logo and brand identity. Whilst I was happy with the overall look of my website, I felt I needed a stronger identity, and something to soften the site, which is largely black and greys. Jessica presented me with a number of ideas, a couple of which I really liked, and so asked her to develop them further. Within a very short space of time, Jessica had created a logo which I felt matched exactly what I had wanted, although I did not know what I wanted until I saw it! The whole process was quick, communication was excellent, andI felt Jessica understood what I wanted for my branding. The associated fee was very reasonable, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use Sapling Design in the future.