Category Archives: Logo Design & Branding

FirstLight Logo Redesign

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FirstLight Logo Redesign

A brand revamp for one of our favourite clients (are we allowed say that or “is that racist Ted?”). Upper Case were recently tasked with a redesign of the logo for FirstLight. The brief included the addition of a flower with a missing petal and a flame of light similar to the previous logo design.

Introducing a new colour palette and logo icon helped to add new vibrancy and a softer feel to the existing identity and the existing concept, without necessitating a complete redesign. The flame and the flower were merged to create a logo representing both in a subtle way, considering this sensitive subject.

View our logo and branding portfolio here

FirstLight Logo Design

CLIC Brand Design – Recent Work

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CLIC Logo Design – Downing Commercial

Upper Case were recently tasked with developing a suite of marketing materials for our client, Downing Commercial to help them launch a 9 million euro property portfolio. The Cork Limerick Investment Collection (CLIC) project comprised logo and branding design, sales brochure/portfolio, online brochure design and a series of national press adverts.

The logo design that was created is a simple design with the aim to make a strong impression in the property market. The logo has an abstracted skyscraper to represent the commercial property nature of the business.

View our logo and branding portfolio here

5 Tips When Hiring a Graphic Designer

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LogosNowadays, businesses need to grab the attention of their target audience by employing effective tactics that will make their product/service stand out from that of their competitors. If you’re a business owner, one of the best ways to do this is to hire a graphic designer who can use their expertise to create a memorable and eye-catching logo that will transform your business, product or service. So how do you go about hiring a graphic designer that will do the needful for your business? We’re here to help! The following are 5 tips you should consider when you are hiring a graphic designer:

  1. Have a specific plan

Before you talk to any graphic designer, make sure that you have a clearly defined and well thought out plan as to what you expect to achieve by hiring them. If you have a particular project in mind, make sure that you can communicate the purpose of the project and what you require to make it a success. In this way, you can see if the skills of the graphic designer measure up to what you require. While you may not know how the finished design will look, you should be able to articulate what you want the design to achieve.

  1. Be clear about the budget

Make sure that the project budget is set and agreed when you are hiring a graphic designer. The designer will need to know what your budget is and be able to assess whether the work involved in what is being requested can be achieved within the allowable budget. Also, being clear with the budget available to you will ensure that you will save time and stress by only considering the services of the graphic designers that you can actually afford.

  1. Portfolios are important

A graphic designer’s worth can be measured by the quality of their previous design projects that form their portfolios. When reviewing a portfolio, pay attention to the details, the messages that are portrayed, the impact the designs have on you and how memorable the imagery is. A good graphic designer can easily and clearly communicate a message through their designs so in retrospect, the ability to convey a message is something that you’ll need to take into account.

  1. References

As with any prospective employee, you should always check the references of a graphic designer that you are considering working with. A quick telephone call or an email to some previous clients that they have worked with can give you a clear and concise idea as to their skills, experience and how easy they were to work with.

  1. Location

Ideally, you should try and hire a graphic designer that is located in your local area as face-to-face meetings and interactions are intrinsic to the birth of a successful design. It is easier to convey your business’s style and way of thinking with personal interactions with your graphic designer rather than dealing with an overseas, outsourced graphic designer service.

A good graphic designer is worth their weight in gold and so taking the time to choose the right one to cater to the needs of your business will certainly pay off in the long-term.

Common Logo Design Mistakes

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The easiest way to recognise a brand or company and to tell it apart from its competitors is by looking at its logo. For that reason, companies do their utmost to ensure that their logos are designed effectively and have the necessary affect on the general public. However, not all companies get it right and so to help you avoid that trap, the following are some of the most common logo design mistakes that should be avoided.

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Business Logo Design – Things to Keep in Mind

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A business logo is so much more than just a graphic on a letterhead, business card or a billboard. A well-designed and effective business logo can become a significant asset to your business, as it is often the first thing that a potential customer or client will notice about your business.

We all know how important it is to create a good first impression and it is no different when it comes to designing a business logo.

To get the most out of your design, the following are some points you should keep in mind when creating a business logo.

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Logo Design Tips for Small Businesses

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When you think of Nike’s logo, you instantly picture the world famous swoosh. When you think of the technology giant Apple, you can picture the renowned apple symbol with the bite taken. These logos, and many more like them, are famous the world over and are instantly recognisable. Such are the benefits of a well-designed logo. However, these benefits are not just limited to large multinational companies and small businesses should not underestimate the power of a well thought out logo. The logo is often the first thing belonging to a small business that a potential customer sees and so its design is something which great importance should be given to. Read on for some invaluable advice on designing a logo for small businesses.

Nike Swoosh

  1. Find a good designer

The design of a logo for a small business is very important and for that reason, it should be handled by the professionals who have the necessary experience and skills to create a memorable and effective logo for your small business. However, even the most skilled graphic designer will need to work closely with the business owners and so a good relationship should exist between the two.

  1. Colour scheme

It’s best to keep the logo colours as simple as possible – too many colours will just make the logo look complicated and busy. A small business’s logo will appear on everything from business cards to van decals, having a logo with only two colours will keep your printing costs down. In addition, keeping the colour scheme simple will ensure that the logo can be reproduced just as effectively in black and white when it is shown on copied documents, faxes, photocopies etc.

  1. Include the business name

While big businesses can rely on just on an image only logo, small businesses should also include the business name. As the business begins to grow and gain recognition, the name can be omitted. For example, the Nike logo originally was the swoosh symbol with ‘NIKE’ written within the swoosh symbol. In 1995, as the company was gaining in popularity, the company dropped the text and now relies on the swoosh symbol alone.

  1. Keep it simple

A logo for any business should be simple and functional but especially so for a small business. This is because a business logo conveys a message about the business, what it does and what it values. A convoluted logo or one that it is difficult to remember will lead to confusion as to what the business is all about.

  1. Choose the font carefully

An overly complicated font may alienate prospective customers and clients. Also, mixing and matching fonts as part of a logo or using amateurish looking fonts is not a good idea. For that reason, a simple, easy to read font should be chosen as it should reflect the impression that the business is trying to create.

A business logo creates an important first impression to the outside world which is full of prospective customers and clients. Therefore, a creative and distinctive logo is an effective tool of success for any small business.