New Leaf Ventures Co., Ltd.

The logo creation was a fun project, however, there were a few tough requirements. New Leaf Ventures was (still is) a start-up company that streamlines and “greens” many of the systems that developing countries use to produce their exports.

1. The logo, like any good logo, had to look good on mixed media and in different sizes. That was a must.
3. Due to the international audience, the logo had to be very simply with very little colors.
4. It had to be done in 3 days!

My first move? Consult with Stephen at my old stomping ground, FontShop. We played around with various typefaces. We went through PDF after PDF of samples. I started with the typeface first. I just feel letters have a way of creating a feeling that can many times be more powerful than icons and accompanying artwork. After six hours of size rendering, color sampling and deep contemplation we arrived at Gloriola. (Le Monde Sans was a close runner up!)

The typeface was spot on. It embodied everything I wanted to say – clean (it’s the sans!), fresh, new, friendly with corporate overtones. The spacing and overall metrics were perfect. The family also contained enough weights for this to be a corporate workhorse. Due to the international nature, however, I felt some artwork was necessary to complete the message.

For very obvious reasons, I started out with a leaf. The leaf took on many different shapes, sizes and colors. It was extremely hard trying to come up with something that has not been done. There are thousands of green leaf logos. I didn’t want the design to simply melt into that landscape.

After many failed attempts, I finally decided I needed something a bit more abstract. I also did not want a lot of detail. If it was ever printed small, the details would blur or compress. I also wanted an icon that I could use by itself as abstract patterns and backgrounds for future campaigns. After 24 more hours and a few Skype meetings with friends over at Mccann and Olgivy, I finally settled with the square, quasi-abstract leaf pointing to the right. A very nice accompaniment to the Typeface. It worked on many levels and it was done in 3 days. I later went on to develop all the offline collateral for the launch of this business as well as a few stamps and punches.