Conceptual design

The logo above is for MIND a mental health charity in England and Wales. The charity offers a range of services such as; supported housing, employment and training schemes as well as general counselling. MIND offers mental health support to those who are struggling to cope with mental health conditions, the general consensus is this charity is for everyone, due to their range of services. 

The use of conceptual design is increasingly important, especially for logo designs as they can give the viewer a clear understanding of what they are portraying and the company’s intentions. As seen within this logo the mind is messy and muddled, coupled with the relaxed font. The use of the colour blue has a somewhat calming effect upon the viewer, this perfectly contrasts the seemingly muddled thoughts depicted in the logo. The typeface used looks approachable, it is not necessarily serious. Given it is a mental health charity this is something that is vitally important to the individuals who use this service. There are two typefaces used within this logo design, this overall adds to the simplicity of the logo. The messy “scribble” seen at the top left of the logo is a fantastic representation of the brain/mind (as the logo states) with the possible depiction of troubling thoughts then being strung out into a line of controlled and seamless thoughts, being depicted by the still continuous line used to spell out “mind” This overall design is a strong use of conceptual design as the designer has taken the thoughts and put them into a visual representation which is clearly understood by the viewer.

This is an example of bad conceptual design, it is not a clear indication to community connection, it isn’t something that is recognisable straight away. The colours used clash with one another, this makes it not too pleasant to look at. There is no fluidity to the overall design. The design does not have any reference to what it it supposed to be for. The colours used are to strong for this design, although bright and inviting, there are to many elements within the design which in turn makes it hard to register what it is representing. The icons used do not necessarily show “community connections”. A better option may have been to use hands to show community support and better opportunities.

The design above is a redesign of the previously shown example, the conceptual design, was to vague, it had too many elements, the colours used clashed, the harsh brighter blue along side the strong oranges does not well as an overall cohesive piece. Using hands to show connection and support is a good design choice for this redesign as it projects a caring and nurturing environment. Keeping the leaves references to the original design, however changing the colour pallete to warm oranges makes for an inviting display. Simplifying the design, gives the viewer an easier design to understand. The hands in the centre of the design naturally drawers the viewer in and is a clear indication of belonging and community.

MIND, available at: https://www.mind.org.uk/ (last visited 02/11/21)

Wayne Local, available at: https://www.wayne-local.com/district-news/entry/community-connections-creating-opportunities-831/ (last visited 03/11/21)