The inspiration for my design comes from a literal interpretation of the name of my blog. I wanted something simple, cheerful and whimsical that featured primary colors. I knew I wanted symbols to replace the words in my blog title to keep the logo as uncluttered as possible.
I chose the letter “K” because that represents Kindergarten when referring to grades in school. I came up with the idea to create the “K” using crayons. My son, who is in kindergarten, prefers coloring with crayons right now and watching him inspired my design.
The @ symbol seemed logical to replace the word “at”. For the number 48, I wanted a clean, sophisticated font to balance the playfulness of the crayon “K”. I tried different fonts, but eventually settled on using crayons to create the 48 which ultimately provided the balance I was seeking.
Once I figured out the elements of my design, I began sketching out different concepts. Just the basic letters and numbers seemed too simplistic and neither a vertical or horizontal treatment worked.
I needed a background for my logo and settled on a yellow school bus. The inspiration again came from my son who’s favorite part of the day is riding the bus home from school. The use of rectangles throughout the design utilizes the Gestalt principle of repetition. The other gestalt principle in use is closure with windows and bumper of the bus forming a natural frame around the title characters.
One of the logo readings that informed the layout of the crayon characters came from 4 Principles of Great Logo Design and the use of the principles of balance and repetition. I also settled on the cheerful golden yellow color for the bus based on the article Color Symbolism by Jackie Baer.
I utilized many of the techniques practiced in the AI tutorials. The linear and radial gradient tool was used in the windows, bumper and tires. The layers from the Safari tutorial added the shine to the tires. To create the front of the bus I utilized the Pathfinder>Unite tool which merged two rectangle shapes.
The logo is a visual representation of my blog and this stage of my life. Kindergarten can be wondrous at any age, but now that I’m experiencing it through my son, it has more meaning to me. I never lose sight that my son and I are both on educational journeys and because of him I’m reminded every day that learning can and should be fun.
kindergarten at 48 
While designing my logo, I contemplated whether to add a door since I liked the orientation of the bus going from left to right to imply forward movement. I purposely left off the door because I didn’t want more features to detract from the text. Sean suggested adding passengers and a door. I think putting passengers on the bus will make the logo too “busy” but I will work with the text layout and add the door.
After I submitted the draft, I realized there should be some “motion” to the bus. Kristen reinforced this in her critique. Kristen has a good eye for movement in her designs and I will see what I can do.
Mike suggested using one color per letter/number since the different color combinations in the crayons were difficult for him to read. I will try that to see how it works.
Katherine and Sean commented about the disconnect between the blog and the logo. I interpret this to mean the logo could not stand apart from the blog because people wouldn’t know what it’s trying to say. I have an idea of how to address this, but I will lose one of the key elements that I love about the design. But if my logo only makes sense to me, it would be missing the point of communicating.
Part of the whimsy of my design and the title of my blog is that I am experiencing kindergarten at this stage of my life. I’m the age of some of the grandparents in my child’s class! There’s humor for me in that. Having a child as late in life as I did, I’m going to need a sense of humor if I’m to survive the coming years.
I appreciate all the feedback and encouragement from my peers.
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Hi Lori! Congrats on another great assignment. There is a ton of time here. It had to have taken quite a while to build some of the complex pieces of this image. I really like how you made the various lights! They are unique and wonderful, and brand this logo as your own. It’s so much better than a generic school bus from a clip art source. And the bus really has a kindergarten feel, so the bus itself conveys the theme… its tall and fun, and appealing. You could have gone with a longer “full size” bus and not fit your theme as well as you have here. The elements of the logo are different sizes (lights, bumpers), and even different colors, but are similar and tie the whole thing together in a cohesive way.
There is only one thing I would even consider changing here. I do find that the lettering is a little hard on my eyes, which is more noticeable given the contrast with the ampersand, which pops so well. I LOVE the crayons, don’t get me wrong. And you pick the basic primary colors, which is such a natural choice. But there is something about the way the reds and blues mix that is hard for me to read. Now—I have some issues with colors, so it may just be me. But… I wonder if maybe using all one color, or maybe one color per letter might increase legibility? I couldn’t find anything in the readings that specifically warns against combining colors, though, so this may all be a bad recommendation. Whatever you do, keep the crayons! They are so charming, so perfect for your theme.
Really neat logo Lori!
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Hi Lori,
I love this! Great job. I think you really captured some fun in your design but yet it’s also professional enough, which is very hard to do I think when working with kids products/things. Sometimes your design can come across too young, or too colorful giving it an unprofessional type vibe. So I must applaud this balance.
I would be curious to see what happens when your logo is put into black & white, as I worry some of the effect will be lost but hopefully not much. I liked Sean’s suggestion of adding some kids to give it some more visual. Is there a better way to give it some movement? A filter on the bus maybe? Just food for thought. I can’t wait to see your finished product.
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Hi Lori,
Nice logo overall. I like the colors and the use of crayons to make up the text. I know right away from the bus that this is a school related logo. I will admit that I had to read your description and the name of your blog to understand the K @ 48. I don’t have kids so it makes sense that I wouldn’t. I think your logo would fit nicely next to your blog title.
Nice job relating back to all of the logo design lessons and incorporating them into your design. Nice job using elements from the Safari tutorial to make the tires shine. I also used things I learned from the Safari tutorial in my logo design.
I struggled a little in making a logo so it’s hard for me to critique or make suggestions. Maybe some School bus text could bring out the bus a little more. Another thing might be to add a door. How are these kids getting on the bus? How about a kid waving from one of the windows? That might be cute.
Nice logo, nice design, nice job!
Sean
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Hi Lori,
Your logo is very fun and has a nice sense of playfulness. The colors are a nice choice and I love that you made the letters and numbers out of crayons. That is a great idea and gives a little something extra to the logo. Looks like you utilized a lot that we learned from the tutorials, which is what I had to do as well and just play with it since this is my first time working with Illustrator.
As a suggestion I would say that maybe the logo lacks a little bit of clarity. I know that you are experiencing kindergarten at the age of 48 through your son, but it could be interpreted as you are going to kindergarten at the age of 48. Does that make sense? I know that to us that are following your blog will understand, but to a passerby it may come across differently.
Great job on your draft logo! Can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Katherine
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The bus also gives a feeling of movement – toward life and learning.
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