Creating a logo for AMJ Animal Nutrition began with comparative branding analysis and market research. This involves an examination of branding trends among emerging companies and longstanding leaders in the agricultural market – especially those involved with animal nutrition and livestock products.
Knowing that AMJ Animal Nutrition was a small business did not mean larger companies were ignored, as they typically set the trends in a given industry. As a small business, the branding for AMJ Animal Nutrition should compliment larger suppliers and market leaders familiar within the industry. Companies like Cargill, ADM, Biovet, along with regional leaders like Poulin Grain, were among the brands considered in this analysis.
Branding trends within the industry share a number of distinct aesthetic features:
- Green and blue color schemes that convey strength and reliability while complimenting natural or agricultural themes.
- Bold typography, with many incorporating italicized styles and sans-serif fonts.
- Features that were often abstract, striking a balance between nature, agriculture, and corporate simplicity.
- Most were text-based as opposed to icon-based logos.
The final result follows these trends by relying on a blue and beige color scheme that feels right at home within the industry. Blue is dominant while the beige and light blue provide solid accent colors.
The font selected for the text-based design is Airco Standard. It is a bold sans-serif font designed around an italicized style – which was toned back slightly to make it less intense. The letters “AMJ” are overlapping each other, bringing cohesion to the individual letters while retaining their distinction. A simple icon element was added to bring home the agricultural element of the brand – the head of a custom designed chicken.
The final product elicits confidence and reliability, which fits the client’s ethos and approaches the felt needs of the average client within the industry. Several variations with horizontal and vertical symmetry were designed to give the logo adaptability for a wide range of applications.
