MIHIR LELE
THE NEXT DOOR BRAND
Art Direction | Identity Design
Client
Sainee Raj
Created and Produced by
Grow91
Identity Design, Art Direction
and Merchandise Design
Mihir Lele
Creative Producer
Vishal Dayama
Scope of Work
I was approached by Grow 91 to design the brand identity for an online merchandise store they were setting up, for Sainee Raj, a poet and content creator.
This identity would be developed as per the brief provided by the creator, independent of the grow 91 brand (they would be handling all logistics and production of the merchandise store but not getting into the creative aspect of the identity design).
The identity would be used for all brand communications, including merchandise, packaging and social media marketing.
Creator Brief
After careful deliberation, the creator chose the name, The Next Door Brand, for their merchandise brand. The Next-door brand is a property that associates itself with a feeling of premium yet comfortable, attainable and yet, aspirational. It is a brand that one can relate with, and yet has the ability to stand-out.
The brand requires a visual identity that expresses the above in the best possible way.
Logo Design and Treatment
To come up with a visual design for the brand, I first began by exploring various treatment options for the logotype of the show.
The aim was to arrive at a design aesthetic that everyone is happy with, which can then be adapted into all other design elements required for the brand.
The following ideas were explored to create a mix of the seemingly contrasting ideas from the brief (Click on the page below to go to full screen mode)
Route 01
Started off exploring simpler ideas - an element that ‘pops’ in an otherwise clean design
Route 02
Using the “Door” Element in “Nextdoor” (An extension of the same idea - an element that ‘pops’ in an otherwise clean design, but with a different approach.)
Using the motif as an element to further express brand related ideas
Route 03
The Cat Motif
A cat gives most a sense of a familiar experience. The animal also lends itself well to a neighbourhood setting,
often used as a device to make someone feel at home, one that we’re going for when we say “the next door” brand.
Its a casual and familiar space, and if used well, can make a brand look premium.
Logo Shortlist
The creator selected the third route.
The final logo lockup along with its its usage were then presented.
A little tweaking of the above idea led to another new route.
Route 04
Clean text with a personality, used to give a tropical vibe.
Route 05
Happy, Free and Comfortable.
When delved into further, the three keywords above gave a simple visual solution: A balloon.
A balloon gives a sense of comfort and happiness, and at the same time a sense of freedom.
The yellow color pops to make it stand out from clutter.
Selected Route
Once the creator shortlisted the design, the logo was tweaked a bit and finalised, along with its usage and collateral adapts.
(Above) Some Key illustrations for the brand, encapsulating its general vibe.
Logo Reveal Animation
A small logo formation was animated for the logo reveal of the brand on social media.
(Colors might differ from exact values due to YouTube compression)
The T-shirts I designed for this brand are showcased on this page, along with designs for other creators.
The T-shirt merchandise was in no way to follow the brand identity aesthetics, as that would dilute the messaging on the t-shirt. The t-shirts were designed to best compliment the line/quote selected on it.