Raymond Davidson Optometry

As I was away the day that this exercise took place, I missed being assigned a partner. However Hayley was kind enough to volunteer to undertake the exercise a second time so I could experience what it would be like to work together collaboratly on a project.

Our client was Raymond Davidson, an optometrist starting out in Wagga. Mr Davidson was looking for a designer whom could create a professional image for his business, something very simple and highly regarded. Mr Davidson was prepared to through a fare bit of money into creating his business image, say he’d “spend a bit, but not the world”.
My partner and I when we initially received the job, sat down and thoroughly researched current optometrist logo’s and how their corporate image comes across, what kind of colours the used and how complex or simplified their imagery was.

We initially discussed the need to thoroughly plot out a name which would be the leading force of the design. Mr Davidson had informed us that we could either uses his name or create one to his liking.
We decided to uses Mr Davidson’s name, as it was very personal and professional compared to something like “I See Optometry”. It then became a question, would it be Davidson Optical or Raymond Davidson Optometry. In the end we decided that Raymond Davidson looked very professional and sophisticated next to some of the logos that we had sketched out, and that Davidson Optical when parred with some of the logo sketched look a bit too modern and futuristic looking.

To begin with we started out with a lot of eyes, redesigning them in all different ways. Most of the time simplifying them down as they would look too complicated next to the three very long words, Raymond Davidson Optometry.
When then started along the path of designing something with a regal feel or look about it as Mr Davidson had suggested as an idea in the initial interview. As a regal capital page started on its own is a very powerful thing, we tried to use to go as minimal as possible with the regal look. We ended up using a simple Capital letter with the company name below.
Another initial design was the use Mr Davidson’s initials as the basis for the design. From this stemmed the design sketch of the giant R in black, red and grey, the very professional and corporate colours that Mr Davidson had requested.

The first lot of feedback we received on our designs was overall very well done and defiantly heading in the direction that Mr Davidson wished to too his business image going.
Three of out of nine design sketches we selected for further development. These sketches were all clean and crisp, very simplistic and professional, which was what Mr Davidson was looking for.
The three sketches that were selected were the regal capital R, the RDO optical eye and the Raymond Davidson Optometry Initials square. These were Mr Davidson’s favourites above all and received the most positive feedback.

Our first revision designs look almost identical to the original sketches. The regal capital R was the only sketch at received a drastic charge as the initial sketches was too small and the detailed to recreate. The Raymond Davidson Optometry Initial square looked exactly the same, everything was straighter and more aligned and the text was now a serif rather that a san serif. And the third sketch that was revised was the RDO optical eye. This changed slightly, just through the type of text that was used. In the original sketch a very light type face was used, however when the sketch was recreated in illustrator, the RD was getting lost, so a heavier type face was used.

I felt the group progress was really coming along. No one was trying the control the operation or enforced their opinion over others. It was a very even partnership, feedback and creative comments were given when needed and nothing was taken personally.

I do not feel that the technology we were using held ourselves or the creation of our logo’s back in anyway. As our logo’s themselves were very minimalistic and centred around Mr Davidson’s name, nothing to fancy was needed to be created.

I think from the start our logos have always had tightness about them. As they are so simple and very corporate and professional, there isn’t must that can stick out like a sore thumb, plus as it is hugely based on text, it was more on issue of placement rather than design.
Right from the start however, my group always had tightness in mind as that was a huge element to Mr Davidson. From the beginning Mr Davidson was looking for something that he could use on business cards, frosted glass windows or a brass plark on the front wall of his old heritage house in Best St.

There was never really any issue or problems with our client, Mr Davidson. Our design progression went from strength to strength, as the design that he was being presented with he really like and only had positive suggestions to make about them.

At this point in time I don’t think too much would be different in a real job like this. The initial interview and revise of the designs all took place as if they were real. If anything the presentation of the initial designs would have been a lot more thought out and well presented, but for the exercise they were fine.

I always knew that graphic design incorporated logo creations and business imagery. And like any creative profession, there will always be multiple reviews and interview stages with the client.

The typography was not really a huge concern in this logo, as the feel that was trying to be portrayed was professionalism; there was no need to play around with decorative type faces. A simple serif font that was professional and reliable was all that need ne considered.

I do not believe that I could have done a better job on my own. I think it is always good to have a second or third party opinion to pick up on the things that you may not always see. I think that if I was working alone the logo may not necessarily be better, just more along the line of what I would have liked wholly and solely. And even still I would have asked for a third party outsider’s opinion.

Our client, Mr Davidson, was very realistic when it came to his expectations of what he wanted in a logo. Every one of his requests was reasonable and related to his business image, optometry.

I do not think that one day is a realistic time frame for this kind of work. Whenever you are creating something it is always good to take a break and then come back to it was you see it differently with refreshed eyes. Also it is always a good idea to get out and about when designing something because it gives your mind a chance to think for its self, rather than being persuaded in front of the computer, and you see things that you may not see when stuck at Google images.

I think over all this was a very interesting exercise to experience. It was a nice change and challenge to work with someone else, rather than by yourself all time. I think my partner, Hayley and I really meet our clients need and satisfied what he want in a logo.