Libris Ignis is an online publisher whose focus is to bring the latest in scientific research to the everyday user. I needed a logo for this startup before developing the website. I wanted something simple: Books, libraries and something Latin or Greek. It must speak to the new generation of academics, while also not alienating the older generation. Also, the logo must have a rebellious look and feel, but it should not resemble any of the big five academic publishers (SAGE, Elsevier, Black & Wiley, Springer Nature, and Taylor & Francis).
my interpretation
My wife and I collect books, so we have an enormous collection of books arranged alphabetically on shelves. I used our library as inspiration. The sizes of our books are all different. Some are high, some are short, while others are fat or thin. The same can be said of the basic shapes that make up letters. I could arrange the letters of Libris Ignis to resemble a bookshelf or a row of books.
The second aspect to consider was the Latin and Greek. Libris Ignis is already Latin for Books of Fire, so that helps, but it needed more. Whenever I think of Greece, I think of myths, especially two tales: Icarus and his wax wings, and Theseus and the Minotaur in the labyrinth. The tales of Icarus would not do for this logo, but a labyrinth has potential. Labyrinths are visually interesting and they can resemble text quite easily. I now had two strong elements to work with: a bookshelf and a labyrinth.
The rough draft
In this rough logo you can see how I measured and played with basic shapes. I did not sit for hours pouring over fonts to find one that would suit my idea the best – I created my own font. The two words “LIBRIS IGNIS” both end with an “IS”. In the above version you can see I attempted two versions of the “IS” to see which one I liked best. The shorter “I” that aligns with the bottom of the “S” in “LIBRIS” works better because it enhances the maze-form of the logo.
I used uniform spacing around and between all the letters to create a virtual pathway that connects all the shapes in-between. The minimum of curves was used while also applying them uniformly.
The variations
The previous draft went through a bit of fine tuning. I increased the size of the “N”‘s open counters at the top and bottom, while also adding some round curves to the “G” in two of the samples. I had created a rectangular “G” in my rough draft of the logo by accident, but I found the shape appealing. In the variations below I changed two of the “G”‘s to see what they would look like with some rounded corners. I also duplicated the shapes of the “IS” from “LIBRIS” and reused it at the end of “IGNIS”. I then made cosmetic changes to the logo and the six below were shortlisted.
The final verdict
The last of of the six logos won in the end and for good reason. The red “I” resembles the spine of a book on a book shelf, while simultaneously the deep red signifies “fire”. The rounded “G” looks much better and the all black letters drives home the idea of a labyrinth. The labyrinth is significant because academic are always searching. They search for knowledge and new ways to apply this knowledge. It is not unlike a Promethean quest for fire. The logo is thus a maze with a bit of fire hidden inside of it. Remember that we can do the same for your business. Contact us today for an initial consultation, or read more about our offerings here.