Rare Bird Swimwear | Logotype

In 2016, I collaborated with Lizzi Burns, from Rare Bird Swimwear, to design a custom logotype for her upcoming Australian swimwear collection. This is the process behind it:

Lizzie showed me a reference image that she liked and I began to write her company’s name using my own calligraphy as a starting point. I used calligraphic nibs as well as pencils, markers and ballpoint pens.

After writing several versions of the company’s name, I selected two sketches and drew the outlines of the letterforms using tracing paper and my own grid. In my first lettering proposal, I added weight to the thicks and I altered the baseline of some letters to inject more movement.

I selected my second calligraphic sketch and I drew the outlines using tracing and a ballpoint pen. For my second hand lettering proposal I drew 3 versions slightly increasing the thicks.

The client selected the top left one as her new logotype. Next step: digitising hand lettering.

Every time you change mediums (from hand lettering to vector drawing) the letterforms will change a little or a lot, depending on the level of detail of the hand sketch, but the spirit of the logotype remains. I scanned the proposal selected by the client and re-drew the letterforms in vector format using Illustrator. “Swimwear” is set in Scala Sans Condensed by Martin Major from Font Font.

Swin tag design application (image courtesy of Lizzie Burns).

Lizzie is launching her very first Australian swimwear collection soon and I can’t wait to see it! Stay tune following her Instagram account @rarebirdswimwear!