The old Cornerstone logo didn’t say anything about the company or its offerings.
Cornerstone Property Services, based in Phoenix, Arizona, had no apparent brand identity, despite being in business for thirty years. The old logo was just a basic logotype comprised of Zapf Chancery and Trajan Bold and said nothing about the company or its services.
So when Cornerstone hired Tactix to design a new logo, they wanted it to focus on the people and their commitment to their clients’ needs when maintaining their rental properties. Tactix, a full-service brand design studio in Mesa, Arizona, has churned out hundreds of successful, illustrative logos for its clients since opening shop in 2004. Paul Howalt, cofounder of Tactix, says, “We did a brand strategy for Cornerstone that focused on this directive of the people and staff, discussing their culture and mission.” Ultimately, Cornerstone’s mission is about responsiveness and efficiency in maintaining their clients’ properties to ensure renters are happy.
So Howalt sketched some logos that included people and hands with buildings and other elements that reflected this community aspect that Cornerstone was known for. However, after reviewing these concepts, they veered away from that direction and instead wanted to see buildings as part of the strategy. “They basically said, ‘Keep drawing until we see something we like,’” he explains. These are words no designer or illustrator ever wants to hear, but fortunately, Howalt had a lot of ideas in his bag. He created several concepts that included buildings, symbols and initials to see if any of these triggered a response from the client.
They homed in on a couple of the architectural drawings, in particular a logo that incorporates several structures including residential and commercial building types. “Once we hit on that building arrangement, we did some color sketches and bounced them off the client,” Howalt notes. “I tried to push them into a more progressive and cheerful color palette, but they liked the more muted colors. I think in the end it sort of fits them and fits the area more appropriately than the bright jewel tones. It’s pretty conservative around here.”
With the color direction chosen, two logo marks were created, each featuring different elements that are representative of the area. “In Arizona, there are a lot of pools and palm trees and, of course, the desert landscape, so those were considerations. We also had to include both residential and commercial buildings,” Howalt explains.
The conservative Trade Gothic typeface used for the company name pairs perfectly with the streamlined, overlapping graphic elements that make up the logo.
The old Cornerstone logo didn’t say anything about the company or its offerings.
“In the end we couldn’t translate all those things in one mark so we broke those elements into two marks that could be interchanged for different collateral material. It also took the pressure off of having that one perfectly crafted mark.”
—Paul Howalt
While developing different concepts, Howalt also came up with a range of color palettes to present to the client, from warm to cool.
Howalt sketched several concepts that focused on the people and the services Cornerstone provides, based on the brand strategy they developed with the client.
The client rejected the initial sketches and wanted something different, but they couldn’t put their finger on it, so Howalt presented a range of designs that included structures, initials and symbols using a range of typefaces.
Two logos were developed for the final to fit all of Cornerstone’s needs since they service both residential and commercial properties.
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