The Challenge
UX Design Matters, a community of User Experience Design professionals in Southeast Minnesota, needed a logo for their website. As a member of this group I was honored to be tasked with this design challenge.
My Process
I start my logo designs with words. Armed with paper and pencil, I ask myself, “what are words I’d use to describe the UX Design Matters group?” I come up with adjectives that eventually turn into visual elements. Since UX Design Matters is a club/organization, maybe a shield works as a symbol. I sketch out ideas and eliminate any that look too similar to logos I’ve seen before. The strongest, most intriguing ideas are refined in Adobe Illustrator.
Concept A: This concept plays with the double meaning of the word “Matters”. In context, “Matters” can refer to a topic of conversation or it can imply that something has value. A whiteboard or post-it notes are often used for sketching during UX design practice. I created the logo to resemble a hand drawn thought or idea.
Concept B: In this concept I raised the question of “should UX be spelled out for an audience that may not be familiar with the acronym?” Ultimately, the group realized that members had joined because they were already familiar with some aspect of UX.
Concept C: The winning design! In this logo design I wanted to place emphasis on “UX” by playing with the letterforms. The logo reflects the elegance and simplicity of design.
The Result
The UX Design Matters identity has grown into a Facebook and Twitter page connecting advocates of human centered design.