Olivia's Cubs brand is based on a design brief from the @designerbriefs Instagram account. They create weekly briefs for fictional companies to help newer designers practice their skills and grow their portfolio. I wanted to try out this brief in particular because it was focusing more on kids and that child-like atmosphere. I knew it would be challenging, but it turned out better than expected. Capturing the nurturing feel of a daycare while keeping the colour palette kid-friendly allowed me to design with constraints. I feel that I grew a bit as a designer while working on this logo. It truly is one of my favourites, and I look forward to working on similar briefs in the future!
My idea for the logo was that I wanted it to look educational but still playful and nurturing. Some of my initial sketches and designs were too educational and less playful. Finding a happy medium was difficult. This design stood out among my top options because of the negative space. It creates a cool detail of the baby cub wrapped up in the mother's arms. It fit well with the company, especially with the name "Olivia's Cubs". It makes you think of the daycare as a caring parent. I did struggle with the colour palette a lot. The branding keywords were playful, colourful and educational. It was hard to find colours that worked together but were still vibrant and eye-catching. The blue and yellow were a perfect combination. When I finally landed on them, they fit instantly. I had to add a stroke around the text because initially it was not as easy to read with just the yellow.
Making the mockups was a fun process. I wanted them to feel simple but have a central theme. Around any image is a border with one of the chosen brand colours. That helped keep the designs consistent. I love the business card design; it summarizes the brand well. I originally had the logo smaller on the back side of the business card, but it did not feel like it fit. When I enlarge and lower the opacity, it gives a nice effect to the card. The company pamphlets are a way to show an interested parent what the daycare focus is.
The information given for the brief was slim, as they want you to take the key aspects and base the design off of that. This daycare was designed for children six months to five years old. It is to provide a nurturing environment for young minds to grow. The daycare is designed to encourage a love of learning and create a strong foundation for the children's future. The main demographic is parents, since they are the ones who will be investing in daycare for their kids. Olivia's Cubs need to highlight that the safety and security of the children are the number one priority.
