The Apprentice episode 3 Logos - Our thoughts
posted 4th February 2022
The Apprentice is back, and we are loving it so far. Creating a brand quickly is a challenge. We create logos daily for a diverse range of customers. Having a great logo for your brand can make a significant difference to your business. After watching the first couple of episodes it got us thinking, what would we have done in a short time frame?
In this blog post, we'll look at the packaging designs from The Apprentice Series 16, episode 3 and give the pros and cons of each design. Finally, we'll design our own take on what we would do in a brief time frame.
The Task:
The challenge in episode 3 was all about non-alcoholic beverages. The teams had to design/brand and create a non-alcoholic drink and pitch the ideas to prospective buyers. Whoever sold the most drinks, wins. This week, Lord Sugar mixed up the teams.
Team 1 - Vodify
Team 1, now named Diverse, came up with the idea of Vodify. Vodify is a non-alcoholic version of Vodka, soda and lime. The team came up with the name by combining the words Vodka and modify, as it's a modified version of an alcoholic drink.
Image: Team Diverse Vodify design.
Image: Team Diverse Vodify design, the finished product.
For the logo, the team chose a sans-serif font for all of the text. Sans serif fonts are made of clean lines with no serifs (the little lines at the end). Sans serif fonts are great for making designs look modern. For the colour scheme, the team chose a muted green and pink. For the main graphic featured on the design, the 0% symbol is shown large in the centre. The team have included information about the drink on the label.
Text - The text used for the label design is a sans-serif font. Sans serif fonts give connotations of sharpness, and intelligence and can look futuristic. This ties in well with the idea of the drink and gives the design a scientific look. This gives the impression that new scientific technology has been used to create the non-alcoholic drink inside. The scientific feel can have negative associations. It could give the consumer the impression the drink is quite chemical, this could be off-putting. The use of white space around the text gives a minimalistic feel to the design. Adding the 0% within the product name is a nice touch and adds interest to the plain text. All text on the label is clear in showing what the product is and its content.
Colour - The colour in the design is a little bit off-key. The green used is more of a mint green shade than a lime green. The design doesn't give connotations of lime or Zest. It gives connotations of cooling and soothing which isn't want you would associate with Vodka, soda and lime. Combined with the blush pink, it makes the design look more washed out than stand out. The colour scheme would've been more suited to a beauty product than a drink. The pink behind the text is a nice design feature, however, this does look like a missing font in an illustrator file.
Graphic - For the visuals of the design, the 0% icon is featured large in the centre. The design itself is simple and isn't very eye-catching. The design is split over two different coloured sections. The use of negative space here adds a bit of fun to the design. It gives the impression of experimentation. The design itself is quite basic and doesn't really add much to the overall design.
In summary, the design is quite plain and boring. The combination of colours and text is a little flat. It doesn't strike us as a design that would draw the consumer's interest.
Webfactory's take on Vodify:
For our quick take on the Vodify design, the design is still minimalistic. The product name is clear and bold in a decorative font. The colour scheme is a bright, zesty green that gives a sharp contrast against the clean white background. The product name has the % in the O which was inspired by the original design. The graphics on the label show limes and patterns. The information about the drink is shown clearly on the label.
Using a decorative font adds a bit of playfulness to the design. The design of the font is quite modern, which ties into the innovative nature of the drink. It's clear and easily readable from a distance. The % symbol still features within the text itself, this is a nice touch to show that the drink is 0% alcohol. The base colour of the design is white. The bright lime representing the flavour creates high contrast against the white. This allows the graphics to pop out, which is eye-catching on crowded shelves or fridges. The style of the graphics is rough and hand-drawn, this gives a youthful and edgy feel to the drink. The images are slice segments of fruit, which give the impression of freshness and zest. The colour scheme and graphics are versatile and can be easily changed to represent different flavours of the brand.
Team 2 - Crafted & Spiced
Team 2, now called Infinity, came up with the idea of Crafted & Spiced. Crafted & Spiced is a non-alcoholic spiced and fruity drink, as a substitute for craft beer.
Image: Team infinity design for Craft and Spiced.
Image: Team infinity design for Craft and Spiced, the finished product.
For the logo, the team also chose a sans-serif font. For the colour scheme, they chose burnt orange and white. For the main graphic featured in the design, they chose a wooden cup with different spices. The team have included information about the drink on the label.
Text - The text used for the label is a simple sans-serif font. The design is quite simple. The sans serif font gives connotations of simplicity and sleekness. The font combined with the colour and design gives the connotations of cheapness, rather than sleekness. All of the text on the label is clear in showing what the product is and its content.
Colour - The orange colour chosen suits the drink. However, the balance with the white isn't right. The shade of orange chosen is warm in appearance. The warmth helps give connotations of spice. However, the white overpowers the orange and takes the warmth away - this cheapens the design. If the design was warmer in appearance it would give more luxurious connotations.
Graphic - For the visuals of the design, there isn't much going on. The sections are split up into blocks, which looks clunky. The graphic is too detailed for such a simple design. It feels a little out of place, rather than part of the design. This cheapens the overall look to the product.
Overall, the design has no shelf appeal. The combination of elements in the design made the product look more like a sauce than a drink. The design isn't premium enough and quite basic.
Webfactory's Crafted & Spiced:
For our quick take on the Crafted and Spiced design, the concept is a lot warmer in appearance. The brand name is clear and centred in a sans serif and script font. The colour scheme consists of warm shades of brown and orange, contrasted with white. The graphics in the design are hand drawn spices/ingredients. The information about the drink is clearly shown on the label.
The design itself is aimed to appeal to the premium market. The brand name is a mixture of a sans serif font and a script. Script fonts give connotations of elegance and relaxation. Combined with the sans serif font which is modern, it adds an element of sophistication to the design. The colours of orange and brown, represent the flavours of the drink. The warmth of these colours gives notes of this. The colours together create high contrast, helping it stand out. The graphic is a hand-drawn illustration of the ingredients. The hand-drawn design gives connotations of a handmade, specially created drink. For the background of the label, the graphic is stretched subtly across the bottle, creating texture.
To learn more about logo design and how to create the perfect logo for your business, check out our article here.