The final logo works well in color and black and white for different applications. Even though all the solutions were highly customized, the winning option felt the most tailor-made for the client.
Like many well-known logo designers, Jay Fletcher majored in illustration and started his career in that field working for publications. “I loved illustration, but a lot of my friends were getting jobs doing design work at agencies, and it seemed so much more interesting and challenging to me—the idea that you’re communicating for somebody else and that your work has a much longer shelf life,” he says. “The idea that graphic design is ‘functional art’ is what initially drew me to it.”
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Fletcher now primarily designs logos for clients, putting both his illustration and design skills to use. When Furniture Services Inc., came to him to redesign their logo, he came up with several design directions incorporating different artistic elements. “Something in the ‘smart furniture’ icon ballpark seemed the most interesting and challenging to me, but I wanted to give them a simple type solution as well, in case the more illustrative options weren’t appealing,” Fletcher says.
His simple, clean furniture executions create an interesting balance of lines and shapes. “I’m a big believer in simplicity and honesty in design. We live in a world where you’re constantly being sold something, so I think there’s a lot to be said for backing off and calmly saying, ‘Here’s this thing, take it or leave it,’” Fletcher explains.
Having a visual direction in mind when he begins most projects, Fletcher begins developing the concept directly on the desktop. “My work tends to be very boiled down and, I think, executed very geometrically, so it’s usually quicker for me to jump right into Adobe Illustrator to see what’s working and what isn’t. I can draw basic ideas quicker with a computer than I can by hand, and then if something works, I’m already 20 percent into a final digital version,” he notes. “So most of my ‘sketches’ are random assortments of shapes, lines and type within Illustrator that are usually long-gone or evolved by the time we hit the finish line.”
The winning option, in this case, turned out to be an early contender in Fletcher’s experiments. “This is typical of where my mind goes at the start of a logo project—trying to cleverly merge multiple ideas into a single icon,” he says. The credenza, paired with the typeface Gotham creates an artful, iconic image that is subtle and ultimately stands out in a service category that is often shouting for consumers’ attention.
“I tend to want everything to be extremely clean and simple, down to the number of angles or stroke widths used within a logo, because the end result looks more confident. There’s often a fine line between something being boring or brilliant.”
The final logo works well in color and black and white for different applications. Even though all the solutions were highly customized, the winning option felt the most tailor-made for the client.
“These ‘furniture assembly’ options were the coolest and most appropriate to me, since they hit more heavily on the idea that FSI can do it all and deliver package deals,” Fletcher says. These marks, rooted in simple lines and geometry, are just as striking in black and white as they are in color.
Fletcher explored different ways to execute chairs, tables, cabinets and more. “FSI can handle any aspect of an interior that you need handled, so I wanted the solutions to feel basic, almost elemental, like building blocks. The ‘chair within a hexagon’ option best exemplifies that approach,” he says.
FSI’s old logo was kind of a monogram, so Fletcher presented an option that was a little closer to that. The stencil look is meant to lend an industrial vibe, but the monolinear execution keeps it feeling modern.
“I wish I could say there was a higher thought to this one, but the vintage coffee table shape just seemed pretty and also offered a chance to divide up the three letters,” he says. “It’s not my favorite of the bunch, but I thought it had enough merit to present as an option.”