Virtual Brand:

Das Boot

Branding.

Mood Boards.

Logo Designs.

Brand Guides.

Step 1: Create a full branding campaign for a German boot brand- Das Boot.

Step 2: Make 3 mood boards.

Step 3: Design 3 logos from the mood boards.

Step 4: Make a brand guideline.

Oh, by the way, I managed to snag first place in this class and landed an A+.

We are asked to make 3 mood boards in different art directions.

Yes, and I made them in 3 different sizes.

Pixel The Sea

I tried to do this from a kid's perspective, and even though the mood board size is different, I believe it was meant to happen.
On a rainy day, my 5-year-old nephew expressed his dissatisfaction with his ugly, bulky, and smelly plastic rain boots, making me grateful for my nice boots. The idea for pixel art struck me when I observed how he played Minecraft. When I asked him to show me his game, he displayed a full screen of enlarged, zoomed-in pixels. I was puzzled and asked him to zoom-out to explain. That's when he showed me the house he was building, and the tiny pixels on it caught my attention. Inspired by this, I created a pixel version of an underwater world to emphasize the waterproof feature and avoid any copyright issues with Minecraft.
The sea creatures chosen, including sharks, jellyfish, starfish, shells, and seagrass, were based on a survey considering what children might associate with an ocean. This selection aims to make them more enthusiastic about having fun with us and feeling a connection. Also, most of the elements are made in squares, showing the concept of pixels.
And the size of the mood board, I did it to make you zoom-in, just like getting in a new world.

Treasure Hunting

I'd like to share the backstory of a treasure hunt behind this concept. There's a character, a guy wanted for stealing the treasure. The items displayed on his table are what he left behind. The goal is to engage people, inviting them to play and adventure with us, just like going on a treasure hunt.
As evident, all the items are carefully placed on weathered wood, creating the atmosphere of finding evidence in his room. The treasure map reveals his destination marked with a traditional RED CROSS. Here's an intriguing detail: the red cross is located in Germany, where Das Boot was found. The burnt photo of the boot suggests that he attempted to destroy evidence of what the treasure looks like. This burnt photo also serves as the product sample of the boot under this concept. To enhance the vintage feel and add depth, I applied a burnt and shadow effect to all paper materials on the table.
I consciously adhered to a LIMITED color palette of earth tones to evoke the sense of adventure and challenge my creativity. As someone inclined towards earth tones, I find this concept particularly appealing.

Broadway Glittering

This is inspired by the tiny mood board of pixel the sea, and the title of the guide I made looks like a 3D pixel by using the “3D and materials” feature to create a box. While thinking of the logo, I think I can't make a tiny logo because it will not be suitable for a logo that can’t show the brand name, plus it will not be tiny when you use it enlarged. Thus, the idea of a magnifier came up at last. I have also made a secondary logo for every logo in case there is not enough space for the logo on the product later on.
So, the lens of the magnifier is inspired by the window of a submarine to show the concept of under the sea, which also emphasizes the waterproof feature of the boots. I used different stroke effects to show different depths of the window. For the color of the sea, I used a gradient color of green and blue, representing the color of the sea and the seagrass. After the text “DAS BOOT” is pixelated, I made it look more like the words inside a magnifier, just like a fish-eye effect, by using the “Envelope created from another object” feature. There will be a stick in the primary logo to show the mixture of the magnifier and the submarine window. But when it comes to the secondary logo, the logo will be simplified to the submarine window only, making the logo in the form of a round shape, which is a shape that can be applied on different products easily.

Pixel The Sea

This logo is heavily inspired by the element on the treasure map. That’s why I created a pattern of the map of Germany in the background using the “custom pattern” feature. The color of this logo mainly focuses on different types of brown, as you can see from the Colour Libraries, to make it more connected to the vibe of adventure.
The primary logo is formed by a footprint, a dotted line, and a treasure cross. For the footprint, I used the pen tool to draw a footprint and added an effect to make it rougher, bringing out the feeling of adventure. The text in the footprint was typed along a path of the shoe using the “type along a path” feature to make it blend into a part of the boot. As you may notice, the color of the footprints is different, representing the different pressure on the right foot and left foot. The red cross was also given an effect, making it resemble a hand-drawn target on the map. As you can see, the footprint is so close to the “treasure cross,” meaning that you will succeed in the next step.

This is inspired by the fancy stage of Broadway shows and the high-profile outfits of singers in concerts. That's why I used a 3D version of the Broadway light on the title using the “3D and material” feature. I noticed that the backdrop of the Broadway stage always has two big curves, so I decided to connect them into a heart shape to make it more recognizable and be a high-profile brand logo.
Basically, this logo is formed by two overlapped heart shapes. The darker red behind represents the area of the stage without spotlight. The smaller heart shape represents the spotlighted stage area with the curtains. I added a golden stroke on the smaller heart shape and applied a “grain effect” to the shape, representing the fancy texture of glitter. Then, some affected ellipses were added on top of the stroke, representing the light bulbs. I chose a Broadway light font to bring out the theme. I made it look like a neon effect by blurring the font in the lower layer. Also, I adjusted the position of the font after “expanding” it to create a unique brand logo font.
For the secondary logo, I simplified it to the font only but changed the neon light to the red of the primary logo. This way, the logo can also be used in a smaller form when there is not enough space on the products.

This concept was inspired by the singer's concerts, where songs are always presented with glittering shoes and fancy clothes. At one moment, I had an epiphany – why should this brilliance be confined to the stage alone? Thus, the idea of self-expression and being the star of your own life's performance emerged.
As seen in the background, there's a stage spotlight, signifying that you are under the spotlight, the main character of your own story. The concept aims to look fancy, drawing inspiration from the dazzling lights of Broadway theatre. I even attended a Broadway show to capture their unique vibe!
I established a rule for the photographs – all images must include something shiny. They are then placed under a silver glitter frame. My hope is that people will realize they can shine for themselves when they see these images.
For the color palette, I shaped it like a star inside The Walk of Frames. The red and black colors help create the stage, while the yellow and silver represent what will shine on stage. The photograph also includes a sample product of the shoes under this concept, providing a visual understanding of how the concept will work on actual products.