A good brand has flexibility at its core, with an identifying logo device that can work across multiple platforms and applications.
As an extension to this a brand can have sub-brands and sub-logos to help target different market segments with tailored products or services. Apple is a great example of this with it’s sub-brands such as iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, which effectively address different segments of the tech market.
Whilst DSD has a sole purpose of creating desirable and effective logos and brands for our clients, it hasn’t stopped several sub-logos or special editions of the DSD logo being created as a way of simply celebrating specific anniversaries or expressing elements of the business. Here I take a look at my top four sub-logos created in the last couple of years.
Studio 78
We moved to DSD’s third studio space in September 2021 and haven’t looked back since. Benefitting from a City-centre location on the town side of New London Road in Chelmsford, the studio has been a hit with clients visiting to discuss new projects or simply popping in for a catch up over a coffee. With this in-mind I developed a Studio 78 sub-logo specifically for the studio space which has adorned button badges, die-cut stickers, coasters and studio workwear. It retains links to the main DSD logo in its style and weight of stroke line, providing that subtle link that all sub-logos should have.
Marconi
In 2021 I produced a special edition DSD logo celebrating World Radio Day and the Marconi legacy by incorporating the wave pattern from the original Marconi logo. Thanks to Guglielmo Marconi (the credited inventor of radio) and the opening of his factory on Hall Street, Chelmsford in 1898, the city is known as the birth place of radio. With this themed version of the DSD logo you can still relate enough of the elements to know that it is a product of DSD, however it is able to become its own entity still. Again this has since appeared on die-cut stickers, beer mats and a trusty Sticker Mule custom t-shirt.
I Love NY
For anyone visiting the DSD studio its obvious how much I love the city of New York. A mixture of its awe inspiring architecture and being the setting for classic movies such as Ghostbusters and Big, instilled this passion from an early age. In 2023 I put together a tribute to Milton Glaser’s legendary ’I love NY’ logo, with this graphic in the same style I apply to much of my personal work. It includes some nice alignment touches as well as a subtle nod to the original Twin Towers. Glaser is a graphic designer who I admire deeply, and the fact he lived and breathed New York also helps! 🙂
DSD 15th Anniversary
In 2024 DSD celebrates 15 years since I took on my first client back in October 2009. In that time we’ve resided in 3 studios and worked with close to 350 clients. Following on from a successful 10th Anniversary motif, this 15 year special sub-logo has adorned every type of digital application since January 1st as well as die-cut stickers and this particularly vivid green Sticker Mule custom t-shirt you see here. Encompassing the main DSD logo, the 15 character perfectly reflects the ’start to finish’ style of the the original ‘DSD’, as well as playfully cutting around our proud registered trademark ‘R’.
So there you have it, four very different sub-logos to the main DSD brand, all of which feature brand cohesion through retaining elements of, or features similar to the original motif. Whilst these items are purely for fun for DSD, they clearly demonstrate how having a suite of logos can certainly tell a story and provide versatility for our clients.
