SCOT FORGE ANNIVERSARY LOGO / LOGO DESIGN
Scot Forge, a massive employee-owned metal forge whose customers include SpaceX and NASA (they forged the wheels of the Mars Rover Curiosity!), wanted a new logo lockup to celebrate their 125th anniversary. This lockup would appear on all print materials, OOH advertisements, trade show materials, direct mail announcements, event invitations, email signatures, video graphics and more. The new lockup also had to work as a transitionary piece as they retired their old logo in exchange for something more modern in feeling and versatile across print and digital.
Two requirements were determined for this project: retain Scot Forge’s colors and fonts, and work in the 125th anniversary (and, if possible, their 40th anniversary of being an E.S.O.P.).
To that end, the shield design to the right below was chosen as the final primary-use lockup. The plaid used in the retired logo was replaced by a digitally-enhanced and functional representation of the brand’s trademarked tartan, while the shield represents the strength and toughness of Scot Forge and the forgings they create.
PROCESS: DESIGNING A BRIDGE
Now a few decades old, the lockup above on the left served as the primary Scot Forge logo on all materials. While definitely missing some modern design touches, the main issue with this lockup was poor translation to a digital format. The plaid in the “Scot” became muddied when shrunk, and the detail work in the Scotsman himself was all but lost.
In the end, the shield design was chosen as the primary-use lockup, though one or two designs were also chosen for special occasions (e.g. specific pieces of merch). Below are some early designs and logo add-ons that were left on the design room floor, as well as the first iteration of the shield design.
