Ever since its inception, I’ve always been quietly proud of the original STILL OUTDOORS branding. It’s a special moment when something you have invested so much time and effort into finally comes into fruition. However, it was high time for a brand refresh.
Nature is Struggling, the Driver for Change
Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to sit down and reflect on recent events and the direction of STILL OUTDOORS. When I started STILL OUTDOORS, my mission was to promote the art of landscape photography. Nothing has changed in that department; it remains one of my core objectives. However, having had the time to reflect and evaluate, I decided it was time to expand my scope. A significant driver for this brand refresh is the fact that nature is struggling. UK wildlife is on the decline, and there are some harrowing statistics. I won’t go into too much detail; you can read the full State of Nature report for yourself here.
I spend so much of my time outdoors. Whether it’s photographing local wildlife, exploring ancient woodlands with my best buddy Milo, or venturing up the fells of the beautiful Lake District, one thing is constant: my love for nature and the great outdoors. This got me thinking, nature has always been there for me, it’s only fair that I return the favour in its time of need.
Unveiling the Exciting new Brand Logo
Many caffeine-fueled late nights contributed to the creation of this exciting new chapter for STILL OUTDOORS. I love the creative process; I think that comes hand in hand with being a photographer. We’re creatives at heart, and we take pride in our work. I, however, am my own worst nightmare. I’m notoriously hard to please. In my eyes, there’s always room for fine-tuning, even when there isn’t. So, you can imagine how many iterations of logo design I went through before I finally settled on what I believe to be the perfect concept for STILL OUTDOORS. Introducing the new brand identity.
Dissecting the new design
In my head, I feel like I’ve somehow managed to check every box I set out to achieve with this logo. My intention was to create a logo that marries my love for photography with the great outdoors. There is a strong symbolism in my icon choice, and I hope that this translates. Before I explain my thought process, I would love to hear your first impressions of the new brand logo and what message you think it sends.
First and foremost, I came up with a few ideas for the main feature of the refreshed logo. There was one clear winner, the common kingfisher. The common kingfisher is an icon of the wildlife photography world. They are instantly recognisable thanks to their bold characteristics and never-give-up attitude. They’re plucky and incredibly vocal. In the same way that kingfishers are vocal, it was my turn to use my voice for nature. Kingfishers are also well known for their unrivalled ability to catch fish. In his prime, my dad lived and breathed fishing. A fitting tribute in his memory. After unanimously deciding on the kingfisher being the main feature of the logo, I set about creating a hand-drawn silhouette. This ended up being a trace of one of my favourite kingfisher portraits I captured recently – a female kingfisher perched on a birch branch in the most beautiful sunrise light imaginable.
After drawing a more simplistic revised perch, the kingfisher icon was complete. I now needed to find a way to connect the kingfisher with photography. In the end, the background was the result of my brain working overtime. I spent longer than I care to admit trying to find a way to introduce a subtle photography-related element to the kingfisher silhouette. Eventually, I arrived at the idea of using aperture blades. On their own, a fairly popular brand icon within the photographic community. However, I wanted something a little different, something that would stand out from the crowd, yet perfectly capture the essence of STILL OUTDOORS. That’s when I toyed with the idea of creating a partial aperture blade that doubles as a sunset/sunrise sun behind the kingfisher. I hope my vision translates, and I’m not trying too hard! In my mind, this new icon perfectly illustrates my love for nature and landscape photography, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I hope you like it, too!
Logo meaning explained
When combined, the brand icon instils confidence and tenacity. Much like the kingfisher’s never-give-up attitude, I will always strive to share knowledge and raise awareness. The combination also illustrates the strong bond between nature, landscapes, and photography, and the impact they have on my life. The outdoors is everything to me, and the refreshed brand logo needed to mirror this.
Deciding on a natural colour palette
Being an outdoors brand with strong ties to nature and natural landscapes, I wanted to spend the time to come up with a set of exciting brand colours that better represent STILL OUTDOORS. Gone is the dominant black and white combination. Instead, I chose to bring in some beautiful earthly tones paired with a lovely nod to golden hour. Moving forward, you will start to see these colours within brand assets and content, and I can’t wait to spend some time coming up with creative ways to introduce each colour.
The Future of STILL OUTDOORS
It’s all well and good to refresh the brand logo, but what does this mean for future content? Well, in short, I will continue to deliver engaging and informative photography-related content to the best of my ability. There will also be a focus on raising awareness of the struggle and decline of nature. Throughout this year, I have invested a significant amount of time into photographing local wildlife. The feedback I have received from neighbours and friends has been incredible and insightful at the same time. On several occasions, there was one common comment, roughly along the lines of “I had no idea they could be found here”. Through raising awareness, I hope to create relationships between locals and wildlife with which we can all benefit. Together, we can drive change.
In the background, I am working on my first-ever book – Wildlife of Rainford. The purpose of this book is to showcase the beauty of local wildlife and form the foundations for long-lasting relationships between the community and nature. It’s hard to care for something if you don’t know it’s there. By raising awareness, it is my goal to work towards creating an environment in which we and nature benefit. I will also be looking into dedicated projects in aid of nature in which the community can get involved. More on this once I lay the foundations.
You can discover more about my work in progress – Wildlife of Rainford in my previous blog post by clicking here.