Hodgson Built
LOGO DESIGN • BRANDING • VISUAL IDENTITY
In Lake Placid, New York, it’s hard to find a good contractor that’s not already booked until the year 2050. So when Jay Hodgson, a local with an eye for detail and skills to match, decided to hang his shingle out, I knew he’d need a solid brand that would help him get his reputation out there.
I sat down with Jay and asked him about his business. Who were his clientele? What would he want his customers to say about his work? What are potential customers looking for? What are they worried about?
One big theme that emerged is the importance of trust. The contracting world can be full of some real charlatans and many potential clients have been burned before. I knew that we needed the visual identity that communicated Jay’s dedication and experience.
I started with researching what is already in the market place.
There were a lot of similar themes that were out there. Since we’re in the Adirondack Mountains, a lot of companies go with mountains, trees, etc. Lots of construction companies use houses and tools as logos. So if we’re looking to separate Jay’s brand from the background noise, those are out.
Armed with my research I started sketching out some ideas. Okay, I started sketching out a lot of ideas!
The name of the business is “Hodgson Built,” so I started with a lot of HB monogram marks. Jay was also nicknamed “Jaybird,” so I explored creating a blue jay-themed logo. From this process and the rounds of revision, we created a unique jay line art logomark.
With line art logos, one of the challenges is how to use them on dark backgrounds without making them feel like a photo negative. The dark background has to replace the lines, but was tricky around the beak and legs. However, I think it turned out pretty well.
The jay is paired with a font called Bicyclette. This font is clean and simple, but with a vintage vibe. This along with an offset print effect give the brand an established feel.
To make sure that the brand is flexible for a variety of uses, I created a vertically stacked logo (primary), horizontal logo (secondary), and badge logo (tertiary). All logos come in full color and one color versions for both light and dark backgrounds.
