Brand Evaluation
Message Clarity
This standard addresses visual communications only. Specifically, how well an explicit corporate or campaign message comes across by means of a purely visual language.
Messages are broken into both explicit and implicit groups. Explicit messages generally reflect definitive market attributes (i.e. educational technology, non-profit healthcare, southwest home decor). Implicit messages cover a more generalized range of market attributes (i.e. professional, trustworthy, approachable) and are usually achieved through form & function and creativity & style.
Form & Function
Using such practices as balance, contrast, scale, and depth as well as theories like gestalt (proximity, similarity, continuity, closure) form and function serve as the fundamental design principles that govern effective technical execution.
Through proper layout and handling of graphical arrangement, an unsophisticated design can be refined to an extremely high competitive standard. Likewise, a strong visual program can quickly become unstable through ineffective execution of design fundamentals.
Creativity & Style
As the most subjective measure of good communications, creativity and style act as both the icing on the cake to good design and a fundamentally strategic element to more directly connect with an intended audience.
Understanding style requires a historical lesson in graphic design, which will not be covered in this document. However, it is helpful to note that styles like Art Deco, Bauhaus, and Post Modern have influenced cultural views through visual communications for decades and having an understanding of these and more recent styles will go far in gaining a command over their application.
Creativity is almost purely subjective – measured only by ranges of originality
uPortal Brand & Logo
Use these labels for brand/logo work: brand, logo.
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uPortal Logo Contest (uPortal)
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Brand and Logo (uPortal)
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User Experience (uPortal)
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UP3 Logo Concepts (Archived Portal Exploration)