The Early Chapter 品牌形象 by Allan Toh is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award 鐵獎 in 平面設計 Competition Category.

鐵平面· 2022

The Early Chapter 品牌形象

by Allan Toh

Client: Allan Toh

A' Design Award 鐵獎 Winner in 平面 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #128237

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Colors

The Design

About The Early Chapter 品牌形象

《稚語小築》係為新加坡一間幼兒活動會所創作嘅品牌形象。呢間會所透過沉浸式遊戲，幫助小朋友培養對華語嘅興趣。標誌以紅、黃、藍三種簡單色塊疊砌而成，形似一間小屋，象徵會所致力建立嘅社群。色塊之間嘅負空間巧妙構成「華」字，突顯品牌對中文語言嘅重視。一個半圓太陽圖案，則寓意著為幼童營造陽光向上嘅成長環境。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 鐵獎

The Early Chapter 品牌形象是 A' Design Award 鐵獎得主，這是授予滿足人們對設計精良的創作所期待的專業與工業要求的優良設計的聲望認可。鐵獎得主展現出其創作者的高超技藝、高度專業化、專家級的理解力和創造能力。預計The Early Chapter 品牌形象將成為一件備受推崇、令人欽佩且被珍愛的創作，既實用又創新。這件贏得 A' Design Award 鐵獎的設計整合了行業最佳實踐，並擁有與專業知識和才華相結合的稱職技術特性。The Early Chapter 品牌形象因其嚴謹而受到尊重，旨在提供有助於讓世界變得更美好的生活品質改善。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The Early Chapter is an early childhood activities clubhouse for children to develop an interest in Mandarin through immersive play. The logo consists of simple shapes in primary colors- red, yellow, and blue, stacked to look like a hut or small house. This represents the community that the brand tries to create. The negative space between the shapes forms the Chinese written character for Mandarin, which represents the clubhouse's emphasis on the Chinese language (Mandarin). The half-sun symbolizes the uplifting environment The Early Chapter wishes to create for the rising young stars of tomorrow.
Dimensions & Packaging: The minimum height of the logo for web is 45px. The minimum height for print is 10mm.
Tags: The Early Chapter, Early Childhood Clubhouse, Children, Mandarin, Chinese, Activities, Fun, Playful.
Production Technology: I started out by understanding from the client's perspective what they wanted, and went on to use mind maps to break down the meanings and associations for the words, "Early", and 'Clubhouse". I gathered that 'sun' is a good representation of 'early' and that a 'hut' is a nice association for a clubhouse.
Design Challenge: The challenge was to create a suitable colour palette as I was working with the 3 primary colours. I also have to be mindful in creating a brand identity that feels trustworthy yet uplifting and fun. I have to find a balance point such that the outcome does not appear boring while attempting to be trustworthy, and also not being too childish and unreliable while trying to be fun and uplifting. I hope I managed to strike a good balance here.
Research: Desk research, market study and brand positioning analysis were conducted to understand the context, target market and competition. Stakeholder interviews, target market study and competitive analysis were carried out. The research indicated that children in the target age group(1.5-6 years) engage in constructive play, and decipher primary colours such as red, yellow and blue better. The findings gave a clear design direction and contributed to an outcome that is more relevant and appropriate.
Inspiration: Inspired by the idea of a "close-knit and fun community for children", I wanted to create a logo that looks like a colourful hut that feels uplifting, fun and safe. The colours are carefully selected- red for attention, yellow for fun and blue for safety. They also happen to be the primary colours which children can easily identify with.
Project Duration: The project started in late April 2021 in Singapore, and finished in late June 2021. The clubhouse is has completed renovations and is open to the public since November 2021. The logo and brand materials are used in stores and for marketing purposes.
Operation Flow: Due to the use of three primary colour hues, it is ideal the logo appears on a White or Floral White (beige-looking) background. Floral white provides a warm support for the three colours so the logo stands out well.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Allan Toh Design Studio, 2021.