Case Study: Kamworks Logo Redesign
The Client.
The Logo Redesign Project.
Working as a Creative Director on their logo redesign project, my first task was finding out their pain points. I needed to know what they did and did not like their present image. After some meetings, I found out that they felt the font used in their brand mark was too playful. Kamworks were looking for something more modern and versatile that reminded viewers of the sun in their logo redesign.
They also wanted a logo that payed homage to their international roots but also incorporated some Cambodian elements.
With their brief and client questionnaire in mind, I began making the first round of visuals. I went with an abstracted solar panel motif on some and blocks of yellow on others that could be read as window panes letting the sunlight in for others.
In one series I focused on the Khmer (Cambodian language) symbol for “Kam”. By turning its circular element into a sunburst, I give the remainder of the letterform a landscape-like, natural appearance. Being passionate about solar energy myself, I wanted the logo to reflect the cleanliness and efficiency of the Kamworks energy solution in a country where it can make such a difference.
Lessons Learned.
After some false starts and middling feedback, we had to question our assumptions about this project. We started with a new round of meetings with the client. We felt that we had missed something, and we had. It turned out that the client didn’t want as complete an overhaul as we’d thought.
It appeared they’d been swayed by the comments of clients and competitors urging them toward a aesthetic change. At heart they were happy with their logo, they just wanted some modernization. What I thought was a total logo redesign became more of a logo refinement.
So I went back to the drawing board. I changed their font to a more bold and modern sans serif font. Also two versions of the logo was made; one in English and one in Khmer. In the end, this solution was more aligned to their business goals than our more far-reaching visual changes. Which is really what design is about, solving problems in the best possible manner.
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