Client
Hellfire Catfishing
Project type
Company Branding
Discipline
Branding
Graphic Design
Marketing
Role
Freelancer Designer
Overview
In 2023 I was approach to create a logo for the brand Hellfire Catfishing, a company specializing in advanced fishing capabilities through tech, to create their logo and develop their brand identity.
The brief: "Portray the intensity of catfishing"
This was the first time the company had worked with an external designer so deep diving into the company's mission, goals, projected target audience, and direct competitors was crucial to understanding and producing branding.
Research
While the client didn't have any direct competitors to speak of, outdoor and fishing companies such as Brass Pro and Simms were researched in terms to establish what the client felt they did right and how the client would like to be presented in contrast to the typical styles of such companies.
Understanding what the client didn't want helped put corners in the foundation of what would become their branding.
Challenges
• Competitor branding could be used for comparison but was not the look desired. Client wanted something unique in the market.
• Client had never worked with a designer before and would need help understanding and developing their own brand.
Goals
• Create a brand identity, logo, and brand mark that would capture the aesthetic and audience the company weas looking to reach.
• Provide branding guidelines.
• Increase brand perception as atypical from competitors.
Exploration
With a simple brief, some research, and a list of "what not to do's" on my hands. I set to work exploring potential concepts.
I had three key focuses while in this exploration phase.
• Intensity
• Originality
• High tech
I worked with these focuses to begin sketching brand marks that would showcase a catfish just before the catch, in contrast to most brands that would show the fish mid catch, with an silhouette appearance to drive up the mystic of what lay below the surface of the water. I also presented concepts for a 'mid jump' version more on par for what other similar brands were doing, but with the same silhouetted styling in mind.
Refinement
The client agreed with the direction but wanted to see added fire elements to the brand mark. With the client in agreement for the direction and the revisions in mind, I begin a refinement phase, adding in small details such as the catfishing curled whiskters and using the fins of the fish to donate flames.
Throughout the refinement stage, the client was able to see their vision take shape and began to gravitate towards one option over another; the fish moving forwards with frevor and energy.
The brand mark decided, I set to working on a text mock up for the logo utilizing the brand mark. It was decided that customizing two fonts (Snug Variable and Omnes) would give the desired look the client wanted. This text would also include the same eye design within the word "Hellfire" to create visual interest and further connect the brand mark to the text. Then worked with the client to come up with a color palette, spacing, and other points for the branding guidelines
Final Product
Mockups
