Landmark Logo Design
On a crisp sunny day, I found myself in Chesterfield, the site of my old college on a visit to the current graphic design pupils.
Chesterfield is famous for one thing. The crooked spire sits twisted atop the church of St Mary and All Saints.
In Chesterfield, you can't escape the twisting shadow of the spire, organisations take its name to show their local credentials, Spire Vets, Spire Lodge, Spire Radio, Mobiles, Pizza, Developments, News, Spin, Windows, Doors & Conservatoires.
As a bonus, when you grab the name of the local landmark, you also get a free idea for a logo design. Crooked spire, leaning tower, golden bridge, liberty statue, etc.
One such landmark that stood out on a project based in Hammersmith, London. Thames crossings are a rare enough thing in London that they become pretty important in everyday life for those that live around them. With its somewhat exciting history of being a target for repeated Irish terrorism and 2019 closure due to safety concerns (no longer from bombings, but strength) Hammersmith Bridge is something of a beacon to locals.
Grace Church Hammersmith was set up by Hammersmith locals who are proud of their little slice of London community. They were after a contemporary brand that placed them in Hammersmith but avoided both church and landmark cliches.
I had to explore the bridge within the design somewhat, creating a flexible logo with the playful use of the capital letter H, splitting and stretching to form a bridge-like mark. This bridge grows and spans forming lines and separators for additional assets.
Using a well-known and important local landmark is a great way to shortcut the idea that your business, charity or organisation is local, but it might just be a trap to unoriginality when it comes to branding.