Logo creation and brand design for Benim Academy, a preschool in New City, New York.
Abstract
Benim Academy was created by Dr. Lanna Benim as a place for children to learn and succeed in the fundamental early years of their lives. The client wanted a revamped version of their previous logo that felt scholarly yet welcoming. The client also needed a brand system that represented the goals of her institution.
Original Logo
Benim Academy's mascot is a bear named Benny who was featured across all marketing material as well as painted on the walls of the school. However, he needed a makeover. Dr. Benim wanted to maintain fundamental features of her original logo and mascot, but wanted them to be more elevated. She requested that the branding remained friendly and child-appropriate but also collegiate as the school's tagline is "Building Blocks to Ivy League'.
Logo System
The client wanted to maintain the same structure of her previous logo, from a serif typeface for "Benim" down to the arcs above the bear's head. While these were tight restrictions, they allowed me to move in a new, refined direction with a clear guide for the end result. I decided to use Georgia Pro for the school's name as it is a timeless, academic typeface. I also eliminated the gold gradient used in her previous logo as I felt a flat gold gave a much richer appearance.
Brand Symbols
For her brand symbols, the client wanted elements of a town and transportation inspired by the murals painted on her school's walls. She was drawn to bright, vibrant colors with bold line work.
Age Groups
Benim's schooling is divided by age group. The client wanted a set of bear characters in order to represent the different ages, starting with a baby bear up to the more mature panda bear. The bears needed to be consistent with the school's mascot, but still have their own unique flair. The client was drawn to thick black outlines with deep shadows and bright highlights.
Process
The client wanted to incorporate her paintings from the school's walls into her branding. Originally we discussed watercolor textures and hand drawn lines, but she eventually came to the conclusion that this felt too childish. I switched to branding symbols that would be more cohesive with her new logo, and then eventually raised the saturation as per her request.
I had originally created a series of bears in Benim attire, but it was requested that I age them down as the client felt they looked like high schoolers. To do this, I softened the line work and their features. We then pivoted into a different direction more in-line with what the client had envisioned.