Aikido Logo, Brand and Website Development
The Task: Develop a logo, visual identity, and website for Aikido Technologies, an innovative offshore wind company aiming to solve some of the issues with current bulky turbine technology
My Process: Brainstorming, logo iterations, color research, mockups, web design
Stakeholders: Aikido’s CEO and team
Methods + Tools: Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, Wix
Results: A cohesive but nimble brand, allowing room for expansion and experimentation in the future, along with a strong launch website to better support Aikido’s growth
A Wide Range of Precedent
For the first round, I created 60+ sketches, and winnowed things down a bit into groups based on the inspiration and precedents I’d researched. These included research based on Aikido’s name and the symbols involved, energy flow, waves, the turbines themselves, classic cars, and kinetic artists.
Rounds 2 and 3 reduced these concepts further, and then focused on the idea of nodes and calligraphic marks that create a sense of motion, power, and direction.
Focusing In
The heaviest font weight had a strong positive reaction from the team, so I proceeded with designs that incorporated the company name, rather than creating a standalone mark. We also began developing color palettes inspired by construction vests and steel, aiming to create a contrast against competitors’ frequent usage of oceany teals.
Final Details
The energy of the swoop in Arc 2 seemed to evoke an inspiring energy, but the team wanted to see a more reserved form. We were also interested in one more iteration of the node launching / framing the Aikido text. In the end, the node imagery wasn’t sitting exactly right, so I streamlined the form even further to just a small swoop, and added a bit of hierarchy by squaring most of the letters to leave the A slightly more prominent.
Color and Website
Upon creating website mockups, we discovered that the color palettes we’d been developing weren’t giving the correct impression of Aikido as a technology company innovating in the area of offshore wind energy. I created several new palettes and variations, leaning back toward deep blues and purples, but with pops of orange, eggplant, and mossy greens.
With the addition of a deep blue, we found that the construction-inspired palette with orange and grey began to pop, and there was a natural connection between the deep ocean blue and warm sandy orange tones when paired with coastline imagery. With grey and white, it was a very functional palette that felt professional but daring.
Screenshots of the finished website:
