Monograms & Icons

I had the chance to work with various brands, small businesses and individuals in the last years. Some of them needed a new logo. Below you will find some of the logos I’m the most proud of.

The process

Whenever I have a new logo project, I start with the basics: a pencil and a blank sheet of paper. If the client wants a monogram, I always start by writing the letters in as many ways as possible, then I select a few concepts to then push them further.

Le Cozy Café

Le Cozy Café is a small restaurant located in the heart of Hudson, Qc. I started working with them as soon as they opened their doors in December 2014. When I first visited the restaurant, their menu was typed in Microsoft Word and printed on basic 8.5”x11” paper. And they had no logo whatsoever.

I decided to take care of them and created a simple logo that will represent them well: bold, compact and elegant. I picked Helvetica Neue because I wanted to give the brand a timeless and neutral feel. To complement the quintessential sans-serif font, I picked Garamond, an old-style serif typeface. When used together, these two fonts create a great contrast while keeping an overall balance.

Menu Design

In 2016 I designed their new menus. They wanted something different from all the other breakfast/lunch places out there. After some brainstorming I came up with the idea of using a breadboard to hold the menu together. As for the menu’s design, I based the layout on a 12 column grid. For this project I used Adobe InDesign.

Kaytranada CD Booklet

The idea behind this design was to combine hand-drawn artwork with digital typing, giving a sort of hybrid style. For the front and back covers, I used drawings I had made in my sketchbook using a pencil. I scanned these in monochrome mode. In Photoshop I inverted the colors right away, giving a whole new look to the drawings. For the cover (first image) I made 4 copies of the layer and erased some parts on each (with the erase tool, 0% hardness) to create a weird effect of superposition.

In the booklet itself, I used “Tres”, Kaytranada’s signature font (downloaded from his website) for the headings, paired with “Lato” for the lyrics. The fact that “Tres” is a handwriting-style typeface adds up to the intended look and feel.

Minimal Shelf

As a way to expand my design process, I took initiative and decided to experiment with furniture design. My goal was to create a shelf using three wood planks only. It all started from my sketchbook, and I had three characteristics in mind in terms of design: I wanted the shelf to be geometrically interesting, symmetrical and simple.

This project was an exploration of form in which practicality and aesthetics were both considered. This design was not intended to support many items but to instead showcase a select number of belongings.

The process

Coming up with this design concept has been spontaneous. I used three useless wood planks that I found in my basement. The hardest part was to make sure that the two planks forming the X shape are well cut and aligned. I had calculated every lengths and angles beforehand, so it facilitated the cutting process. To hold these two together, I was planning on using small nails only, however I realized that some glue would definitely help solidify the whole furniture. I did not want to use regular wood glue since these are filled with chemicals, so I went online and found a recipe to make my own glue using water, skim milk powder, baking soda and white vinegar. It all worked very well, and I’m glad to say that this project is environmentally friendly.

A few other concepts

Before even starting to think about building a wood shelf, I had in mind to build a seat using cardboard only. Here are a few concepts. One day I might proceed with this cardboard project.

Drowster & Friends

Photographer Olivier Drouin, also known under the nickname of Drowster, asked me to design a poster that would be used to promote his photography exhibit that took place in August 2016. He gave me carte blanche for the design. The only requirement, apart from using the determined text, was that I use one of his photographs somewhere on the poster. I picked this black & white photograph taken at the Central Embassy Mall in Bangkok, Thailand. I really liked the curves and the abundant white space. I thought it would make a great background for a poster.

Selects: Urban Environment

I like capturing scenes that show monumental scale. The relationship between humans, nature and buildings is fascinating. In this series, I showcase a perspective of our decade’s cities through six photographs taken in 2016.

Selects: Monochrome

There is something about black & white photography that I cannot get enough of. One thing I particularly like is the heavy contrast between light and shadows. Here is a collection of some of my favourite monochrome photographs taken in the last year.

To see more of my photography work, please visit my Instagram and emileseguin.com.