For our third project in Identity Design, we designed an identity for a food truck. This included an icon, wordmark, logo (icon and wordmark combined), menu, t-shirt design, and the actual food truck wrap. To get started we randomly chose numbers which then revealed our cuisine and design style. I received the cuisine of spanakopita, which is a Greek spinach and feta cheese pie, and the style of Late Modern design. Not knowing what either of these things were I had to do a lot of research, which was our next step in the process. Our research document had to consist of our research notes, competition, how to differentiate yourself, a mindmap and a matrix to show brainstorming, and the name we decided for our business. Another document needed was the style guide, which was another way for us to brainstorm. This included shapes, images, textures, colors, and typefaces that corresponded to our style. Once we understood our cuisine and style, we could then start sketching out ideas for our logo. We sketched a minimum of 30 icons, 10 wordmarks, and 10 logos. The next step was to vectorize the icon, wordmark, and logo of our choosing. Each week we would have a WIP to further improve our designs. 

With this project we definitely did more brainstorming, which I think was necessary. I didn’t know a single thing about the Late Modern graphic design style and I didn’t even know what spanakopita was, so either way I was going to have to do a lot of research. The mindmap, matrix, and style guide helped me create an understanding of what I was creating an identity for. I was kind of excited that I chose a Greek food because I had just been studying Greek art in my art history class and I’ve always loved Greek mythology. I used my knowledge of Greek art and included it in my identity design, using the Greek letter Pi (Π) and infusing it with the Parthenon, which sits on Acropolis. I also used the word “pita” which is Greek for “pie” (spanakopita means “spinach pie”) and combined it with the word Acropolis. My original design for the Parthenon letter was rounded, which one of my peers told me was too close to a Chinese symbol. So I decided to make it more thick and blocky, matching the typeface to it. For the food truck design I had this image in my head of Greek statues overlaid with geometric shapes. One of the themes of Late Modern design is the mashing of organic and geometric shapes, so I thought this would match the style very well. I used my pen to create the organic and curving lines of the statues and then overlaid them with geometric shapes with a lowered opacity. I also decided to use spirals that I had previously made for one of the logo designs that didn’t work in the food truck wrap. Spanakopita is sometimes made in the form of a spiral pie, which is how they would be sold at my food truck (but in mini form). For the menu, I had to look at a lot of examples because I hated the first version I made. I decided to keep it very simple to keep readability. The shirts were pretty simple as well. I decided to make a pocket tee of sorts with the logo small and on the chest and one of the Greek Statues large on the back. 

I think my work definitely improved from start to finish. I had a lot of ideas in the beginning and had trouble choosing. The one I ended up choosing was my favorite because I thought it was the most creative and unique. Each WIP I took the advice of my peers and professor to further improve my designs. As mentioned before, I tweaked the icon to be bulky to avoid it looking like a Chinese symbol, and then matched the typeface to it. I didn’t change much from the food truck and menu in the last WIP, just some minor layout changes. I ended up choosing just one shirt for my final as well. 

This project challenged me but was really fun at the same time. Not knowing anything about my cuisine or style led me to research and brainstorm a lot, which in the end I think made a big difference. I typically don’t do that much brainstorming, but I know I need to. I also learned how to properly use mockups in Photoshop (which I was having trouble with). Overall it was nice to create something that looks professional and could be an actual job I receive in the future.