Fast Company MCP Most Creative People brand identity

Fast Company is a leading business publication with an editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership and design. After previously working with graphic design studio Superfried to create the Fast Company logo for – FCLA . WCI . Grill – they called on us once again to develop the brand identity for their regular feature on the Most Creative People.

The brief required a 3D style to coincide with their current editorial, award and conference brands. A structural form was required so my initial strategy was to look for potential symmetry and commonality between the letters – MCP. The logos for their existing brands made the brief more challenging and required investigation of numerous routes to achieve the balance between a sympathetic addition to the family, whilst also retaining independence and distinction.

The non-symmetrical structure of the combined letters, with the M naturally much wider than the C and P, meant that a standard cube would not work and pyramidal attempts led to unacceptable compromises with regards to legibility. A new approach and strategy were required.

Going back to the block and reducing the height to create a non-symmetrical cuboid removed the original barriers caused by previously seeking perfect symmetry before. But it looked a little bit flat. However, rotation through 90 decrees then led to a happy accident – the overall shape now resembled a diamond, creating immediate stand out amongst the remaining marques. The change in orientation also led to a more balanced and symmetrical aesthetic as originally intended.

With the direction agreed, tweaks and refinements were made in addition to tests to ensure it would work in B&W and at small scale. Lastly, experimentation was continued via animation with internal lighting effects.