I designed a logo for The Thinking Academy, a woman-owned startup dedicated to equipping children with essential thinking skills for success in a tech-powered workforce. Their mission emphasizes innovation, creativity, and critical thinking through teaching math, computer science, technology, and business principles.
The logo strikes a balance between techy and playful, aligning with the academy’s focus on fostering both innovation and curiosity. I selected purple as the primary color to symbolize creativity and forward-thinking, which are central to their mission. In addition to the logo, I created a custom Squarespace website that enables the owner to easily update and manage content, ensuring a flexible and functional online presence for their growing academy.
The Process
Logo Inspo Presentation
After my initial meeting with the client, I created a logo inspiration presentation to outline the design direction and ensure alignment. The presentation, which I emailed for her review, included examples of logos from other academies and tech institutions to provide context and inspiration. Once the client approved the direction, I moved forward with sketching initial concepts.
Sketching
After some trial and error during the sketching process, I developed what I call the "brain bubble"—an icon that encapsulates the essence of the brand while balancing creativity and innovation. During this stage, I also sketched a rough idea of the desired look and feel for the typography. This exploration led me to Neulis, a variable font family offering versatility and flexibility for use across the brand’s identity.
Logo + Refinement
Using my sketches, I developed and presented the primary, secondary, and tertiary logos along with the icon. From this version, I adjusted the proportions to ensure the overall design was balanced and cohesive.
The Website
With the logo finalized, I transitioned to designing the website. I created initial wireframes for each page in Figma to present to the client, ensuring the layout and structure aligned with her vision. From there, I transferred the designs into Squarespace, focusing on creating a user-friendly platform. To support the client’s future needs, I developed a straightforward guide to help her easily add new pages and manage the site independently.