The Client

Lorena and Sheldon contacted me in late March 2022 needing a logo designed for their new Skid Steer and Hot Shot business they were starting in Alberta called “Toro”.

Conceptualize

Conceptually, they were adamant about the design being based on the idea of a bull or bull head. During our consultation, we discussed what type of look they were after and the marketing or branding message they were hoping to convey with the design. They really wanted the design to be BOLD, DYNAMIC and MODERN and needed it to portray professionalism and trustworthiness – as those would be the hallmark traits of their business. Sheldon and Lorena had sent me a sample of an idea that they found online that they liked very much, but to me, it was the wrong message. It was more of a sports logo than a corporate brand and it is important to ensure your logo designer understands the difference and where each type of logo is appropriate. I assured them I could come up with something that would be perfect for their business. 

Create

With all my logo design processes, it begins by doing research for similar industry logos, related imagery, and any other inspiration I can find to get my juices flowing. Anytime a client provides a sample or two of what they hope their logo to look like, I always make my rendition of that idea one of the initial concepts I present back to the client. For this client, this is the top right image on the picture below. The 2nd concept was based on using the bull’s face to create the ‘T’ in Toro – something simpler than an entire bull head and that could use colour to subtly create a brand.

On the left side of the image were my own designs I created based on some amazing statues of a bull I found during my research. The ability of the cultures to capture powerful stances and movement provided the basis for a strong logo design. Simplifying the overall bull down to just the body and horns of the bull would allow the logo to be transferred to a variety of media as Sheldon and Lorena required.

During the creation process, I also try and provide a variety of typeface samples that I think will work with any of the concepts I present. Needing BOLD and MODERN fonts to support the design, I provided a number of different samples that would all work with each of the concepts.

It happens rarely, but every now and again a client loves one of the original concepts that no revisions are requested or required. This was the case here as Sheldon and Lorena loved the concept of the postured bull. So from there, I went to adding colour to the chosen design. Again, providing a number of different variations after some research, I was able to cover a ton of colour psychology that would speak to the branding message we had discussed.

Communicate

The final logo communicates everything I had discussed with Lorena and Sheldon during our consultation. A BOLD, MODERN and PROFESSIONAL logo that can be used in business cards, as vehicle graphics and be put on clothing and other merchandise. This was a fun project for me as it was the 1st time I took a statue and converted it into a useful logo. The message needed from the start was strength and trustworthiness with the choice of business name – so finding the right imagery and typeface was necessary. I think we accomplished that nicely here!