The REAL logo

REAL – Turning an idea into a visual identity

A good logo should do more than simply look good. Ideally, there should be a reason behind it, something that connects the design to the business, organisation or idea it represents.

That was particularly important when I was asked to develop the identity for REAL.

Understanding the idea before designing the logo

The starting point for any identity project is a conversation. Before opening Illustrator or thinking about colours, typefaces and shapes, I need to understand what sits behind the name.

I had a long conversation with the owner, Kaffy Rice-Oxley, about who REAL was aimed at, what it needed to achieve, whether there were any colour preferences, where the identity would be used and many more questions. The idea is to deliver what the client actually needs rather than simply what I think they need.

In this case, even the name has a purpose.

REAL is a four-part framework designed around four pillars found in great speakers:

R – Ready: being ready for opportunities, with the confidence and connection mindset to be yourself in public.

E – Engaging: being able to engage an audience through a resonant voice and compelling physical presence.

A – Anchored: remaining calm and composed through control of your nervous system and emotions.

L – Leading: leading the conversation through storytelling and presentation skills so that your message lands.

The four elements work together rather than independently. Connection is central to the programme and ultimately it is about helping people become more confident and authentic speakers.

That gave me something meaningful to work with visually.

Rather than simply designing a logo around the word REAL, I wanted the identity to communicate the idea of four individual elements coming together to create something stronger.

Exploring different visual directions

My initial presentation contained three different concepts. Each approached the same underlying idea in a slightly different way, but the four-part structure of REAL ran through all of them.

One direction used four bold audio-style lines contained within a heart. The lines represented the four pillars of REAL, while also suggesting voice and communication. Bringing them together within a single heart helped convey the idea that they form part of one connected journey.

A second direction developed an idea that had come from our original discussions around Venn diagrams and intersecting shapes. Four interwoven sections represented the four pillars and combined to form a wider heart, visually showing the different elements overlapping and working together. 

The third concept took a slightly different approach, using four individual hearts surrounding a central point. Here, the emphasis was on balance, no individual element being more important than another with a four-pointed star representing the moment all four elements align and the ‘real’ person comes through.

Initial ideas

Although all visually quite different, the three concepts came from exactly the same brief.

That’s an important part of the design process. The first stage isn’t necessarily about presenting three completely unrelated ideas and asking a client to pick one. It’s about exploring different ways of communicating the same story.

Sometimes the first ideas change the brief

Initial concepts are exactly that – initial concepts.

Quite often, the final answer isn’t simply ‘Option 1’, ‘Option 2’ or ‘Option 3’. I sometime wish it was! A client might particularly like the overall direction of one concept but prefer an element or piece of thinking from another.

That’s where the development stage becomes important.

The first selection of ideas made Kaffy think differently about what she actually wanted from the finished identity. That’s not unusual. A client doesn’t always know exactly what they want, or don’t want – until they can see something in front of them.

In this case, those initial visuals moved the brief in a slightly different direction.

One element that did survive was the four pointed star. With four points representing the four pillars of Ready, Engaging, Anchored and Leading, it provided a simple visual connection back to the structure of the REAL programme.

The second set of visuals

From there, the idea developed further.

Rather than trying to represent all four pillars separately within the logo, the finished design became about the journey through REAL and where that journey can take you.

The final identity combines the REAL wordmark with a rising line leading towards the star. The line represents forward movement and renewed momentum, while the star represents possibility, aspiration and excellence.

In other words, you begin the REAL programme, develop the four elements and move forward towards becoming the confident speaker you want to be.

It’s a very different looking logo from those first concepts, but importantly, it grew out of the same conversations and design process.

And that’s why the development stage matters.

The aim isn’t to keep adding things to a logo. Usually, it’s the opposite. The best logos are very often the simplest, which also helps make them more memorable.

It’s about taking everything we’ve learned from the brief, the initial ideas and the client’s feedback and reducing it down until we have something distinctive, relevant and simple enough to work everywhere it needs to.

Designing for the real world

A logo never exists in isolation.

It needs to work large and small, on a website, across social media, in presentations and on printed material, so every touchpoint needs to be considered.

The REAL identity therefore wasn’t designed to rely on one particular application or even on colour. Alongside the two-colour master identity, black and reversed white versions were created so that the logo remains clear and recognisable wherever it appears. 

And that’s also why the final stage of an identity project isn’t simply emailing a client a logo file.

Delivering an identity, not just a logo

On completion, Kaffy received the logo and separate logo marque in different file formats, colourways and sizes for use across both print and digital applications.

But just as importantly, I produced a comprehensive set of REAL Brand Guidelines.

The Real Brand Guidelines

These establish how the identity should be used, including the logo and its safety area, use on different backgrounds, typography and the complete colour palette. 

Montserrat was selected as the primary typeface, it’s clear, confident and approachable, as well as being highly legible across print and digital applications. Mostra Nuova provides a more distinctive display face for key messages, its subtle Art Deco influence complementing the angles within the logo. 

A defined colour palette of REAL blue, REAL yellow and dark grey was also created, with the relevant CMYK, Pantone, RGB and HEX references supplied so that the identity can be reproduced consistently across different media. 

All of those elements are there for a reason: to make it easy for Kaffy and anyone else working with REAL in the future – to use the identity correctly and consistently.

Ultimately, that’s where the value of a well-designed identity comes from.

The logo is the starting point, but consistency builds recognition. Recognition creates confidence and, over time, that confidence helps build trust.

For REAL, the finished identity grew directly from the thinking behind the programme and from a design process that evolved along the way. What started with four individual pillars: Ready, Engaging, Anchored and Leading – ultimately became a simple visual idea: REAL moving forward towards a four-pointed star representing what those four elements can help someone become.

And that’s exactly what a good identity should do: look right, work properly and, most importantly, have a reason for being there.