National Park Service-Visual Development Guide [student project]

National Park Service

Visual Development Guide

National Park Service

Visual Development Guide

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Visual Development Guide

Title of section

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National Park Service

Visual Development Guide

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Visual Development Guide

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

National Park Service

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Visual Research

Logo Development

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Our Old Mark

016 Initial Sketches

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Logo Evolution

028 Logo Refinements

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Visual Concept

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Initial Ideas

03 Finalisation 036 Final Logo 038 Visually Similar Logos

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Visual Development Guide

Title of section

National Park Service

01 Visual Research Our Old Mark Logo Evolution Visual Concept Initial ideas

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Visual Research Visual Development Guide

Our Old Mark The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The elements of the emblem symbolize the major facets of the national park system.

The Sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archaeo-

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logical values.

National Park Service

Logo Evolution For years there had been agitation within the National Park Service for an emblem that would identify the Service as the shield did the Forest Service (top left). A contest was held in 1949 because it was thought at that time that the only emblem used by the Service, the Sequoia cone, did not adequately symbolize the bureau. In 1949 the competition winners emblem was appointed the official emblem (top right).

It was not until 1954 when Herbert Maier, and his team produced the original National Park Service arrowhead design 011

(bottom left).

Pre 1949

1949

Emblem used by the National Park Service prior to the Arrowhead being adopted in 1952.

Dudley Bayless’ “open road” design, winner of the 1949 National Park Service Emblem Design Contest.

1954 Original Arrowhead

Visual Research Visual Development Guide

Visual Concept Our concept is to push the brand into a multi faceted dimension which will promote a connection to a new generation of users and explorers. Whilst we want to push our visual concept towards a new audience, we want to make sure our rich heritage and history is still evident within our brand.

Therefore pursing a connection with city environments whilst still connecting with nature, our audience and protecting and preserving what we already have is the way we will move

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forward. We will portray this visually using the ideas formed around discovery, preservation and heritage.

National Park Service

Initial Ideas Before we began sketching we refined our ideation down into three ideas, these are:

01 Discovery

02 Preservation Protect what’s irreplaceable

03 Heritage Connecting the future

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New ways to do things

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Visual Development Guide

Logo Development

National Park Service

02 Logo Development Initial Sketches 01 Discovery 02 Preservation 03 Heritage

Logo Refinements

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Visual Development Guide

01 Discovery

New ways to do things

Logo Development

National Park Service

Our initial sketches within the topic of discovery were centred around paths and fluid shapes in order to highlight the new journey our brand is beginning on. The typography explorations focus on modern, confident glyphs.

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Visual Development Guide

01 Discovery

New ways to do things

Logo Development

National Park Service

*In order for the logo to come together it needs some

At the beginning of the process I struggled to get away from

kind of wordmark. Currently there are two ways;

the clichÊ symbolisms like tree’s and mountains. Therefore

breaking down the name to NPS or maintaining the

this phase helped to develop a way to create more unique

full brand name. The second option seems to be the

marks that revolve around our mission.

most appropriate so far as not to lose touch with the heritage and history of the brand.

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Logo Development Visual Development Guide

Protect what’s irreplaceable

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Preservation

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National Park Service

*Protection and shields match well, the notion of

Our marks are beginning to become more unique and reflect a

preserving nature for future generations also corre-

visual that we are searching for. These sketches are looking at

lates promisingly with our mission statement.

preservation from a fossils perspective, an historical artefact which has been connected to the present. Furthermore, highlighting ideas such as shields which act as a form of protection to support preservation.

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Visual Development Guide

02 Preservation

Protect what’s irreplaceable

Logo Development

National Park Service

*The leaf, the eye and a connecting space starts to

The marks being explore in these sketches are highlighting

encapsulate our brands mission of connecting with

how a connection between nature and our audience can

the next generation in order to promote discovery

develop. Exploring the leaf symbol is an appropriate way to

and increase longevity of our heritage.

visually show nature whilst the idea of a human eye next to it could be too abstract in combination.

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Visual Development Guide

03 Heritage

Connecting the future

Logo Development

National Park Service

Heritage was the hardest concept to investigate. It took a while to get around literal ideas and think outside the box.

The strongest forms were developed using a connection or shields which help signify strength and an ability to help connect future generations.

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Visual Development Guide

03 Heritage

Connecting the future

Logo Development

National Park Service

These sketches are looking at more abstract marks in order to find potential and connect a mark to this idea of heritage and connecting the future.

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Logo Development Visual Development Guide 028

Logo Refinements Moving forward, the initial sketches developed into digital refinements which were scanned and traced in order to match the organic, hand drawn shapes that were made on paper.

Symbol

Wordmark

National Park Service

The symbols are currently aiming to represent nature and human in combination with space or an environment. The elements so far are not working cohesively and come across too abstract in terms of meaning. Both the symbol and wordmark will continue being refined in order to find a balance for the overall signature.

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Logo Development

Wordmark Variations

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Visual Development Guide

Logo Refinements

The stroke weight on the wordmark has been reduced to be more delicate and not as aggressive. The above variations are show slight changes to the structure of certain glyphs.

National Park Service

Symbol Development

City

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Nature

Human

The stroke which was connecting the human (user), that is currently an eye with nature was causing confusion within focus groups. Therefore expanding on the environment, we have added a symbol to signify a city environment.

Logo Development

Symbol Development

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Visual Development Guide

Logo Refinements

In order to create a more simplified and instantaneous visual reaction we have made the marks more literal in terms of visual meaning. Nature, human and city environment are starting to work cohesively together.

National Park Service

during the digital phase. The fact that it was split into three symbols felt as if one was missing like the piece of a puzzle. The addition of the shield has added the final piece and the composition feels complete.

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The mark has developed considerably

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Visual Development Guide

Finalisation

National Park Service

03 Finalisation Final Logo Visually Similar Logos

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Finalisation Visual Development Guide

Final Logo The final logo represents the elements that make up our new mission statement. The symbols connect nature, city, human and protection together in a cohesive composition. The wordmark is completely custom with certain strokes used in order

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to build the symbols.

National Park Service

Finalisation Visual Development Guide

Visually Similar Logos A brands logo should stand out amongst competitors in the same market, the mark should be unique and visually compelling. Through this research we can understand the visual language of similar marks in order to avoid similarity and

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design the best possible mark in order to stand out.

Typography

National Park Service

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Symbols

Course_Nature of Identity Instructor_Hunter Wimmer Image Source_Unsplash, National Park Service, Washington Post.

Article Source_National Park Service, NPS History, Library of Congress, Wikipedia, Time.

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