Designer: Mandy Barret
A manufacturer of a range of tubular
metal and plastic components, Ground
Effects Ltd. mainly targets the automotive
industry. To increase brand
recognition in this competitive
market, the company’s logo needs an overhaul.
Operating manager Marianne Lalka says its current
logo is dated, uninteresting, and unimaginative.
Lalka wants a logo that increases brand recognition
with a design that represents the company’s
product line. Keeping Lalka’s request in mind,
designer Mandy Barrett maintained a tubular effect
throughout her redesign process to tie together the
company’s name and the products it creates.
Early explorations were mainly black and white.
Her final design, however, adds a captivating green to
the black-and-white scheme. “I felt the logo needed
a punch of color, something that grabs the eye,” says
Barrett. This touch of green distinguishes Ground
Effects from its competitors in the market.
The subtitle vehicle design systems and a QS-9000
registered notation needed to be incorporated into the
redesign as well. Barrett selected two modern, urban
fonts to use in the updated logo: Techno Regular for
the title, and Century Gothic for the subtitle. She
wrapped the QS-9000 registered notation around a
tube icon.
“I was thinking of circles for the piping and
tubing idea, but I also wanted to connect that image
with the letter G,” explains Barrett. “A circle with a
line through the center did the trick. I gave the ‘tube’
a metallic look with a simple gradient. I really think
it’s important to have an icon in this case to help
connect the logo with what they do.” Her versatile
concept is reminiscent of auto logos—the industry
Ground Effects serves.
