SCMAker

Description

The Bridge is a marketing strategy company created to service the event planning space. Specifically, minority small business owners in the following spaces: catering, floral arrangements, event planning, venues, bakeries, photography, entertainment, and transportation services. The Bridge aims to analyze the existing communication pathways between these businesses and their intended audiences to then determine if these pathways need to be established, restructured, or polished. The objective of this analysis varies depending on the individualized needs of the small business; however, based on the primary research conducted by founder, Michelle Duarte, an extensive analysis of these communication pathways can lead to invoking new audiences and addressing established audiences in more effective ways. 

Further, The Bridge’s goal is to contribute to small business growth and development by providing a new or elevated  sense of professionalism, structure, and consistency through brand identity. This contribution will be performed by the following services: web design, social media management, internal communication analysis and strategy, community collaborations, search engine optimization, document design, and workshops. The end goal is to increase business revenue and create new sales opportunities.

Reflection

The concept of the logo is influenced by Jan V. White’s (2020) suggestion to look at design as a business strategy. White emphasizes “Design’s job is not cosmetic to make pages pretty. Its job is to make ideas clear. Design is primarily a lubricant for ideas” (White, 2001, p.55). Accordingly, the logo was designed to depict a narrow bridge; representing a hyper focus on the valuable contents of the producer-consumer communication pathway for each individual client of the company. The lines that create the bridge are thick; representing structure and stability yet fade into thinner lines once they reach both ends, signifying an openness to the needs of both the producer (small businesses) and the consumer (their target audience). 

Lastly, the typeface of the text in the logo was influenced by the bridge graphic. Specifically, Michelle applied the four visual properties (B&A Magazine, n.d.), proportion, shape, line, texture, as she analyzed the bridge. The findings suggest that Alegreya SC, created by Juan Pablo del Peral, best complimented the visual design of the logo and best represents the vision of the company. According to Google Fonts, Alegreya SC was initially intended to be used in literature; however, the typeface has shown potential to enhance dynamic projects and spaces. “[Alegreya] achieves a strong and harmonious text by means of elements designed in an atmosphere of diversity” (Google Fonts, n.d.). The rigid, finite meeting points in the typeface affirm a sense of structure, professionalism, and identity.