Working in the field of web design, we develop a certain knack for integrating existing identities and guidelines into our work– as we are often creating (or reworking) an online image for a company that already has an established image elsewhere.

This may be a blessing for some, who prefer just to focus on the website itself and leaving the branding to others – but it can also be quite burden, especially when the identity was not created with online use in mind.

Recently, when working for my previous employer, Bam Creative, I came across this problem. The client, Volleyball WA, had provided a logo which was created some time ago, and was not really fit for the web. As much as I tried to incorporate it – I kept failing miserably.

Realising that I was going to struggle to create a visually appealing concept while the logo still occupied my Photoshop file, I decided not to continue with the website but instead take a 30 minute hiatus and see what I could do with the logo itself.

Although unapproved by the client, I figured that I could pitch a ‘refreshed version of their existing identity suitable for more modern uses’ – and if they didn’t agree, I could always drop the original back in. Either way, it would be no extra cost to them, and it would help me get the design completed.

Understanding that this logo had been their only identity for some time, my goal wasn’t to completely start again, but to bring the logo back to life and make it suitable for the new website. It was important not to change the structure of the logo too much, as the identity still had to be recognisable when presenting it to the client.

Looking at the original logo, it was pretty obvious that it consisted of three parts – a triangle, a figure, and the type – Volleyball WA. It was important that the new logo retained these elements, but not necessarily in the exact same form. To start, I redrew a more uniform triangle and dropped the sharp edges and this immediately gave me a more natural shape to work with. I also decided to add perspective to the triangle, giving a nod to its original distorted form.

Once I was happy with the shape of the triangle, I set upon finding a useful image of a volleyballer that I could use for the silhouette. I found this was one of the greatest drawbacks of the original logo, and felt the new silhouette needed to be immediately obvious to the viewer. Once the image was found, I quickly outlined in illustrator and I was suitably happy with the outcome.

Another strong element of the previous logo was the bright yellow colour, although I felt it to be slightly overbearing. Using a very light yellow to orange gradient presented a much softer appearance, but also gave extra impact to the silhouette in front.

At this point – I was quite happy with the overall appearance of the updated mark, all that was remaining was the type. After experimenting with a couple of typefaces, I went with a familiar favourite – FF Meta – for its strong, clear form. To fit this in with the rest of the logo, the type was also given some perspective and the new logo was complete – 28 minutes later.

With the new logo in hand, I proceeded back to my original Photoshop file and what was quite a painful process to begin with, ended up proceeding smoothly with a final concept that I was very happy with.

After presenting the concept to the client, they agreed with my decision for the new logo – and decided that it would be gradually introduced it as their new identity, starting with the website (which they also approved, after a few minor modifications).

Overall, I was very happy with the result of this project – and I made a significant realisation – if something’s not working, change it. You’ll feel much better about it, get your job done more efficiently and if successful, your work will be much better for it.