Logo Design · Branding ·
When the family business was coming on its 12th year in business, we decided it was time for a rebrand. The previous logo served us for 10 years, but didn’t really reflect the vision and values of the company anymore.
We decided that the new look should more accurately reflect our regard for the swing era, vernacular jazz, and live entertainment. Our main inspiration was Harlem’s Savoy ballroom — somewhat upscale, but at the same time lively and welcoming. The new look is a nod to the roots of swing. (We also did a slight name change to reflect the wide variety of art forms that happen in the space.)
The “S” is an art deco letterform with a pattern resembling floor boards. The floor boards are meant to emphasize Sugar Swing as a ballroom — and the dance, music, and theatre activities that a ballroom implies. A candy-coloured red injects some excitement and helps balance the otherwise minimal presentation. Vintage-style fonts maintain the swing-era look.
As a brand isn’t just a logo, I made a basic style guide to help capture our overall visual style:
For the staff, we created these pretty gold pins to wear at events:
I’ve made a multitude of designs over Sugar Swing’s long history! If you’d like to see some more work, check out New Year’s Promo Designs and Gig Posters.