Case Study

Canoe Energy: The Importance of Options.

Freelance reminded me that not everything is about marketing data.

Context

Canoe Energy is a brand new company stepping into the green energy market. They asked me to design their logo and company style from scratch.

My Brief

  • Create a logo.

  • Design their website's look and feel.

  • Design a lead flow optimized for lead capture.

My Responsibilities

Design

Required Skills

Presentation

Product Design

Logo Design

Branding

Page Optimization

The Process

  • So much of Canoe Energy's request revolved around logo design; however, because the logo would mostly be seen in the context of their lead flow, I designed their logo and website in tandem.

1 - Style Drafts

(mobile users, click here)

I presented Canoe Energy's logo and website as a series of digital mood boards. Each draft contained a fully realized logo, color swatches, and a lead flow style.

2 - Tailor Design Further

(mobile users, click here)

After the feedback received from the Style Drafts, I presented a more realized site design as well as possible variants. We used this document to solidify a site direction.

3 - Design Rebrand

(mobile users, click here)

Once Canoe Energy expressed interest in changing their brand name,I began drafting up additional logo shapes for them.

4 - Finalize Logo

(for mobile users, click here)

With the site design settled, I presented color options for their finished logo.

Discussion

Oftentimes, corporate creative
is just for the stakeholders, not the market.

  • In this case, my job as a designer was simply to listen and visualize, rather than outsmart a platform's algorithm or a conversion trend driving performance.


The brief wasn't to create a logo or style that would efficiently win high returns on marketing platforms, or rank higher in SEO search, the brief was to efficiently provide digital materials that reflect what stakeholders saw in their minds.

This project reminded me—after nearly six years managing corporate creative teams—that the core function of a designer is to satisfy an end user's desire to see options.


If end users (in this case my employers) are given enough legitimate options, they will inevitably begin troubleshooting what they see and—therefore—engaging with the creative.