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I wanted to create an identity for the company that had the word Coronado in it. Aside from it being an obvious location, I have always loved this word, for how it is said and for how you might tell someone how it is spelled, “co-ro-na-do,” I like the cadence of both. No, I’ve never held a secret fantasy of being a cheerleader, but you’ve got to admit it lends itself to a good cheer too. I also like the Spanish translation, “the crowned one.” The Coronado Surf Designs logo looks a bit regal but in a contemporary, stylish way.
Whenever I design a logo I look carefully at these things along with the name of the company first, to see if anything visual with the typeface can be used for visual inspiration or part of the visual creation of the logo, and for me the “C” of Coronado resembles the shape of the curve of Coronado beach. Ok, so maybe that’s a stretch or rather the curve of Coronado’s beach is not exactly a “C” but there is a curve with an open face, and for me, that speaks to the letter “C” of course.
What’s probably more important is that the curve faces in the same direction, to the right. Wait, or is that to the left? It all depends on how you look at it, whether it be a two-dimensional representation, or where you are standing and facing—it’s all about orientation. Although typically we don’t see a map of Coronado Island from the point-of-view of looking from North to South, Coronado Island does face the South. Anyhow, standing on the beach looking Southward might be like standing in the “C” and looking out its open face… to the South. It is this play of point-of-view, orientation, and how you might experience it in relation to facing the South that I wanted to highlight.
This is where the compass-like shape surrounding the “C” helps with that, it reinforces orientation or point-of-view causing your mind to think that the “C” is facing the South. Wait, but the South point of the compass-like shape faces the South! Well, yes, but it also speaks to the direction the open face of the “C” faces which is the South, that is, if you’re standing on Coronado beach and spatially conscious of its curve. Well anyway, I think you get the idea of what I see in this, and I hope you do too.
The compass-like shape speaks to direction, travel, adventure, and navigation on the land and ocean among some of the common representations, and this has always paired well with surfers, sailors, and watermen.
Getting back to its design aspects, the compass-like shape also accentuates the curve of the “C” calling attention to it through repetition. It’s unique, contemporary design style adds excitement and direction, and aside from the “C”, with its breaks and points, the compass-like shape creates the flow-through of white space, all elements of good logo design. I love the fact that it can be simply pulled away from and joined with “-oronado” to work on its own or together as in the word “Coronado.” Joined with or without “Surf Designs” we have a very nice letter mark. So there you have it, those are my ideas behind the identity of Coronado Surf Designs.
