■ CV #005 / VANTAN (Series 1/3) Corporate Logo Design

[Vantan Series Part 1 (Total 3 Parts)]

Why Vantan decided to undergo a brand renewal

Starting with this installment, I will talk about the brand renewal of Vantan, a KADOKAWA group company, over three parts.
First, I will talk about the main topic, the logo renewal.

Updating a logo—it is not just a design change.
Behind Vantan's decision to proceed with a logo renewal were significant intentions looking toward changes in the creative industry and the evolution of the brand.
This time, I will share the “sharing of significance” that served as the starting point for the renewal, and the thoughts put into the new corporate logo.

◾️ What is the significance of a brand renewal?

Vantan is a vocational school founded in 1965.It has provided practical education in a wide range of fields such as fashion, design, games, cooking, and film. I am also one of its graduates.
Vantan, with such a history, decided to renew its logo.

When I first received the request, the existing logo was a simple, street-style design using “Helvetica”.
Helvetica is a highly legible font with versatility used in various situations.
I felt it was a suitable choice for the Vantan logo, but to respond to a more diverse creative industry, there was a need to “evolve it into a form appropriate for the current era”.

Therefore, in this project, we first started by discussing with the client, Vantan, the fundamental question of “Should we even change the logo in the first place?”

◾️ The evolution that the logo tells

Before starting the logo design, I was given time to explain to the representative of Vantan “why the logo is important.”

A logo is not just a design.
It is the face of the company and symbolizes the brand's philosophy and values. For example, why are the Starbucks and Apple logos updated little by little over time? It is because as the brand evolves, the logo also evolves into the optimal form.

By sharing this idea, the representative of Vantan was also convinced that “there is indeed meaning in changing the logo.”
And the fact that they said “I want to work with you” on the spot was a very impressive and happy moment.

◾️ The shapes of the new “V” and “A”

In this renewal, I was conscious of the origin of the name Vantan.
This name comes from the French “vingt ans” (20 years old) as a symbol of passion. Therefore, it was necessary to reflect elements such as “youth,” “energy,” and “creativity” in the logo design as well.

<New Logo>

First is the angle of the “V”.
To find the “angle that makes one feel the heat of a 20-year-old,” I repeated verifications many times. If the angle is too sharp, it becomes too aggressive, and if it is too dull, it loses momentum. To express the “challenging and cutting-edge, but not too sharp atmosphere” that Vantan possesses, I found the optimal balance.

Actually, at first, I tried a design where the top of the “A” was also sharp, but that made the presence of the “V” fade. So, I made adjustments to “shave the corners of the ‘A’ and make the ‘V’ stand out more”.
By repeating such fine adjustments, a logo design that leaves a stronger impression of the Vantan brand was completed.

<Old Logo>

Furthermore, with the logo before the renewal, there were cases where "Vantan" was broken down and used.
For example, it was used as large cut-out lettering at the school entrance, or broken down into all capital letters as "V / A / N / T / A / N" on banners in the background of stages.
Because it is used in such various ways, it is important to unify the impression as a logo, and I could not find any necessity to intentionally keep the "antan" part in lowercase.
And visually, it fits better within the red square, and the balance of the margins has been improved.

◾️ Color adjustment

Next is the color. Originally, Vantan's red was a color scheme of 100% magenta, 100% yellow, and 10% black in CMYK.

<Before color adjustment (old logo) top / After color adjustment (new logo) bottom>

However, because it contained a little black, it also felt like it tended to look dull.
Therefore, I reduced the black to 5% and brightened the whole thing slightly.This is a fine-tuning to make it a color that shines both digitally and on paper.

◾️ The sense of trust embedded in SINCE 1965

Below the Vantan logo, the text"SINCE 1965"is added.
In recent years, new specialized schools have been born one after another, butVantan is a school with a history dating back to 1965. To firmly convey thattrack record and sense of trust, we decided to continue using this notation.
However, to ensure the balance of the entire logo is not disrupted, I adjusted the design so that "SINCE 1965" does not stand out too much, while also using the effect of contrast.

◾️ The birth of a new symbol, the 'V' icon

In this renewal, considering visibility on smartphones and social media, wealso newly created an icon.

Currently, it isimportant for companies and brands to have a symbol that functions as an 'icon'.
For example, even invery small spaces on smartphone screens, such as apps or social media icons, there is a need to make the brand recognizable.
Therefore, in thislogo production, we created design proposals while verifying the final form as an icon.

◾️ A sense of unity with the brand statement

As Vantan's brand statement,"SPARK YOUR PASSION."is displayed.

"A place where people who face what they love can make their passion shine even brighter."
To ensure this message is clearly conveyed, we unified the text placement and font.
Because it is the core word of the brand, it is important to maintain consistency with the logo.

◾️ Finally

When creating a logo, I value not just creating a 'cool design,' butfirmly sharing the thinking behind it.
For this Vantan renewal as well, we started by thinking together about 'why change it?'

Especially for a creative school like Vantan, there is a mission that it must be cool and must be an entity that inspires aspiration.
That is why I aimed for a design that maximizes the power of the logo and visuals to move the hearts of those who see it.

Next time, I will introduce the spatial design of the Vantan school building, which we worked on in parallel with the logo renewal.

A renewal that treated the space itself as part of the brand, thoroughly conscious of how it looks and how it is felt.
I will talk about the thoughts put into the red entrance and the creation of a creative space open to the city.

CREATIVE VIZION #005

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