From this week’s lecture, I was very interested in brand guidelines, and also the colour psychology of a brand. I found it intriguing how, of all the colours, green seems to have a very universal meaning of life and growth in most cultures of the world, which I would assume is due to it being predominantly seen in the environment in plants, no matter the location in the world. As my brand will embody stability and safety, I researched colours meaning strength around the world, and their reasoning.

Western Europe and North America- Red, due to connotation with fire, which causes intense heat and destruction, and blood, which keeps the body alive, and is shed through conflict.

And Black, which connotes strength through its purity and formality.

Middle East- Green, which is associated with Muhammad, and Islam, symbols which bring inspiration, invigoration and morale to the Muslims of the middle east.

East Asia- Yellow, has come to represent power through its use as the flag and coat of arms of several of the Chinese dynasties who controlled the majority of east Asia throughout history.

To reflect this research, I will use red and yellow as secondary colours of the brand, representing strength and passion. The most important colours of the brand will be black and white, which will connote dependability, stability and professionalism.

I also worked more on the wordmark of my brand, trying alternate fonts, particularly sans serif fonts, to fit better with the newest iteration of the logomark. One of the typefaces which particularly interested me was Scandia. I therefore developed a distinct wordmark in this typeface, using vertical lines to break up the anatomy of the letterforms, reducing them to simpler shapes.

This is the brand’s current wordmark, positioned next to the logo. The separated stems of the type are reminiscent of castle structures and towers, subtly alluding to the templars the brand is named after, while also creating feelings of security for the user, as if their money is being protected behind a strong structure.

I read through the design guide of the Netflix brand, and the part which interested me the most was the section on how not to display the logomark, as it shows how in depth the regulations must be in order to keep the brand consistent, recognisable and appealing.