JENNIFER L. RAINES
Customer Experience Strategy & Writing
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@ ATJ Travel

 
 

MY ROLE: Content Marketing Director (in-house)

THE CHALLENGE: To support ATJ’s sustainable growth by attracting new clients

My Process

BACKGROUND

ATJ is a luxury tour operator offering bespoke and group travel packages to Asia and Pacific for English-speaking (primarily US-based) travelers. The privately-owned company had been in business for 30 years when I assumed this role, and was in the process of

SPECIFICATIONS:

 I took care to think as a client and define the specific requirements for my logo:

  • Reflective of my design ethos: clean, intentional and distinctive

  • Bold color version for business card, letterhead, signage, etc.

  • Version that contains business name and version that does not (logo only)

  • Subtle grayscale version for use on client presentations so as to not overshadow the design I’ve developed for them.

  • Simple enough for very small or very large use to accommodate future business development (storefront, letterhead, mobile website, etc.)

 

BRAINSTORMING & SKETCHING:

 I first began experimenting with the appearance of my initials in different fonts. I used Adobe Illustrator to outline and further manipulate the shapes. I tried a few calligraphic treatments, but found them counter to the simplicity I strive for in my design work. 

I began to experiment with simple sans serif fonts in which the lowercase “j” and “r” are near mirror images of one another. I identified the curvatures and characteristics I found most pleasing. 

For my brand name itself, I wanted an elegant sans serif font that conveyed my design ethos. I found this in Gill Sans and the similar web font, Lato.

 

REFINEMENT:

 My final design for the j/r glyph was inspired by an amalgam of various sans serif fonts to represent both the “j” and “r” symmetricallyThe large block formed by the middle of the j/r combo seemed very heavy and I began to play with the “l” glyph to break up this area. Eventually, I settled on an “l” formed by negative space of equal weight to the j and r stems. 

 

FINAL PRODUCT:

 I was pleased with the simplicity and distinctiveness of my new logo.  Using this logo on client presentations has proved beneficial in immediately establishing a professional impression and setting the tone for the simple, thoughtful design my clients can expect from me.

 

PROJECT TAKE AWAYS: This project forced me to reflect on the client/designer relationship and adopt more empathy for the client’s role in the design process.

In this case, I needed to force myself to think from very different perspectives in order to embody the client role and the designer role. As a client, I needed to clearly state my requirements and preferences to the designer.  This helped me to understand how difficult it can be to identify, let alone voice, these opinions in a clear and concise manner. 

As I work with clients in the future, I am inspired to spend more time nurturing our relationship and asking questions until we both deeply understand the vision.