Logo design process for Berthier Associates

Dominique Berthier, Managing Director at Berthier Associates, approached me to redesign his company’s identity.
Berthier Associates Co., Ltd. was launched in 1987, specialising in the planning, design, installation and maintenance of modern workspaces. The company is based in Tokyo, but provides coverage throughout Japan, and the client list includes Air France-KLM, Ferrari, Citroen, Carrefour, Aozora Bank, Saudi Petroleum, and Vale.
Inside the company brochure (prior to the logo project):





Logo design brief
Dominique wasn’t satisfied with the old Berthier logo design (below).

I asked what the new identity should say about the company, and the following key words and terms were listed: fresh, attractive, livable, reliable, concern of the users, modern, innovative, flexible, on time, perfection, professional, total management, high quality, multinational, planned efficiency, conceptual, detailed, cost saving.
I was glad when Dominique added, “The above key words should be called to mind, not shown explicitly.”
A ’simple, yet powerful’ logo was called for, text only (known as a logotype), to be incorporated into a visit card design (visit cards are the Japanese equivalent of business cards).
The final design needed to work as a watermark, inverted, monochrome, grey and in small sizes.
I expect, on top of good taste, a flawless graphic work, with fonts carefully selected and juxtaposed … a detail — preferably genius one — should express our creativity and modernism. Overall, kindly keep in mind that our selling points are not products but solutions resulting from intellectual activities.
Dominique Berthier
Mind-mapping and logo sketches
A vital part of any design project, sketches allow for a free flow of ideas, un-restricted by computers.


Various logo options

This option (above / below) was deemed too organic, when the service offered by Berthier is more functional and precise.

The following images show a little of my exploration into customised letterforms — one aim was to find the right balance to work beside Japanese Kanji (Chinese characters used in Japanese writing).


Black and reversed logo options
It’s important to have an adaptable logo design — one that works on light or dark backgrounds.


The logotype was formed by customising Gotham — a superb type design from Hoefler & Frere-Jones) — and here I highlight the individual characters that were amended.

I like Gotham. It is an elemental, no-nonsense font, therefore a good match for any architectural firm. The work you did on this font has also the advantage to give it a more refreshing touch than the original.
Dominique Berthier
Berthier visit cards
Once the logo was finalised, we began the visit card design.
Dominique kindly sent some of his printed cards from Japan, which I took a few photos of (below). Plike was used as the card stock, which is also what my own business cards are printed on. It gives a very distinctive feel, and I was more than happy to recommend its use.



You’ll notice in the photo above how the Berthier logo wraps around onto the reverse side, and appears in a very subtle white ink.
Berthier logo online

At the time of writing, the Berthier website is almost 100% Flash-based — not ideal for search engine optimisation. A new website development is in the pipeline, which I very much look forward to seeing.
Logo design testimonial
“We had been in quest of a graphic designer for several months but the few ones I got in touch with never seemed able to meet our taste. Finally, when I discovered David through a Google search, it appeared likely that such a passionate designer would be the partner we had been looking for — which became obvious as soon as we started working together. After reviewing our requirements, David sent us a few proposals and, taking great care, created numerous modifications. We were plainly satisfied. Most importantly, each modification introduced that special detail that makes all the difference. Needless to say we are extremely satisfied with the results. Thanks David.”
Dominique Berthier, Berthier Associates Co., Ltd.
Have your say
How do you feel the new logo works on the Berthier visit cards and website? Would you have done anything differently? I value your input.

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Timeless, I really like the simplicity and attention to detail. The organic version was quite nice too but the final design is definitely the winner. Good job David ;)
I love the simplicity of it David, and am a huge fan of Gotham too, so great to see how it can be subtly tweaked to suit a purpose. Also nice to see that, even though you’re in Northern Ireland, you’re able to get jobs from all over the world!
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I am bookmarking this. What a great slowing of the process behind something as simple as a full typography logo. The amount of work and time that must have gone into it is amazing. I think this should be showed to all the people that scoff at typography only logos because they think no work goes into them.
Really good job. I like it. Much improved over the past logo.
-Patrick
First post here, so how do?
I really like the logo, I think it works well at displaying the logo in a fresh and modern new light and is also very simple and spacious - fulfilling the international part and it being very easy for everyone, regardless language to read.
If I were to change one thing however, and this is only a small picky opinion on a great design, would be to remove the left section of the crossbar of the ‘t’. The ‘t’ and ‘h’ seem to stand out a little for me, i think it is because you have edited the other letters but left the ‘t’ and ‘h’ pretty much untouched and them seem to look ‘plonked’ in the middle. Removing the left section of the crossbar might of given the middle of the logo a little more creative ‘twinge’ and settled better with the rest.
But like i say, just a small picky point on a great design - nice to see your sketches and progress throughout the project.
P.S. ‘plonked’ and ‘twinge’ are Yorkshire technical terms.
Thanks very much. Ultimately, the organic version was a little too natural, but it was fun experimenting with those forms.
Phil,
It’s great to know that my physical location proves no barrier to the clients I work with, and it was a pleasure collaborating with my first customer in Japan. Thanks for the compliment.
Patrick,
You’re absolutely right. Logotypes need just as much attention to detail. Good of you to comment.
Jim,
I’m very well thanks, and hope you are too. Those Yorkshire terms are great, by the way, and I’m glad you appreciate the sketches. Bye for now.
Love the customisation of the type, really gives the logo a unique appearance.
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I recently subscribed, and I must say, your feeds are probably the only ones I read in full.
That said, I have to compliment you, not only on the above logo, but your work in general. It’s outstanding and very creative.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. Keep up the good work.
I agree with Jim in that the ‘t’ in particular stands out in the logo. A more circular curve on the base of the ‘t’ to echo the circular curves of the other letters would make it much more seamless.
As always, your description of your work and process is fascinating and insightful.
great solution, well done!
Stellar work. Thanks for sharing your process. It does remind me a bit of the Brother type treatment (see http://www.brother.com) which is similar. Please don’t take that the wrong way though. The Brother type seems ‘mashed’ together, whereas your treatment is like furniture shapes carefully placed on a floor plan.
Also, there’s an elegance to your treatment – you’ve really delivered on the words and terms they wanted the new logo to express and represent. The spacing “feels” perfect here and the forms flow without having to be squished together. I really like the organic treatment as well, but the final choice fits the nature of the company much better.
Dominique seems to be a very challenging client, but in a good way… It seems like the challenges presented to you have been reflected in the delivery of stunning results. The attention to detail really stand out. I agree with Jim above, but I almost want to see how the letter forms would work with the right side of the crossbar on the “t” removed leaving just the shorter left side so that the “r” flows into it? That said, I think it’s also important to know when to stop and when you have it “just right”. I think you really got this one just right.
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Nice work David.
The logo somehow reminds me of the Brother logo.
I think you made a good job of it, definatly and improvement on the 1990s logo, i think logos are sometimes best with out imagery, the final logo reminds me of the “brother” printer logo probably because of the b letter from, and you probaly hit all the key words he was looking for.
not sure im keen on the alignment of the visit card white ink even tho its meant to wrap around the card. i guess its one of those things your meant to see in person tho.
Good stuff.
Thanks for your comments. Kind of you to take the time.
Gavin,
Always a pleasure welcoming a new subscriber. I hope I continue to offer content of interest.
ptamaro,
Each client brings a new challenge, and I enjoyed working through Dominique’s suggestions. He has a team of talented designers to back him up, and their opinions were also taken on board throughout the process. Good of you to offer some suggestions.
David,
The logo looks very good. It’s clean and just the way I like it. I have never designed a logo but looking at the process, it does seem to be a lot of work and glad it has paid off.
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The idea with the wrapped logo on the card was to add some visual interest — to have the information flow from front to back, whilst keeping the design as simple as possible.
Ramkarthik,
A lot of people don’t appreciate the work that goes into logos, which is part of the reason why I offer these brief write-ups.
Thanks for both dropping by.
Is this your first logotype David? The closest I have come to a logotype logo was my True Connect logo design.
I think the design works however I did notice the T problem also, possibly cutting the left or right side of the T off would make it less visible. I wish I had such neat sketches, mine area all over the joint!
Another job well done.
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My favorite parts of this logo are the “e”s, without that simple element, this might/could be mistaken for an unaltered font. Thanks for showing us the before and after on the typeface, I love to see the process. Beautiful work!
Thanks so much for taking us behind the scenes on this logotype process. The final product is outstanding.
I actually think that you did the right thing by not chopping out the left end of the cross on ‘t’, though ‘e’ treatment is a bit out of place. But on the other hand, I think that the sticking out ‘e’ is very appropriate for this company—modern, classic, but with a quirk.
Really well done!
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I like it, almost too simple for me but it really works on the business cards. It’s nice your client understands good design, I can’t think of very many of my previous clients who wouldn’t freak out when presented with a design that simple. Good job.
I originally subscribed to your feed several months ago, but I must admit that I neglected to read it amid the mountain of work that’s been building since then. I finally sat down and caught up on what I’ve been missing.
Thank you so very much for dissecting your creative process and sharing it. I’m an in-house designer working on a re-brand of the company I work for, and your posts have reinvigorated my passion for the project.
Also, I just requested samples of the Plike paper form paper-papers.com. Thanks again!
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David, excellent job as usually. Love the visit cards. I do have to disagree with you on one thing though, and it has to do with your process and is subjective. Your comment “sketches allow for a free flow of ideas, un-restricted by computers” is misleading. This assumes that computers are limited and don’t allow a free flow of ideas. Personally, I think the opposite is true, at least for me. I keep sketches to a minimal and do them to just get a general idea down. I then move on to the computer where I’m much faster and can be more precise.
In the end it’s up to the style of the individual but there is an attitude in the design community that one must ALWAYS start with sketches. I don’t agree with that at all.
Anyway, awesome work.
There have been others, but this is the first logotype I’ve chosen to display on my site. I think the ‘t’ works well, but I do appreciate reading how you’d change the design.
Leandra,
Like you, I also find the ‘e’ to be the most dynamic of the characters — the one that makes the most visual impact over the design.
Vivien,
Thanks very much for your compliment. The ‘e’ underwent quite a few changes that aren’t shown here, as did the other characters. Very close attention was also paid to the letterspacing, and in the end, both the client and I are happy with the result. Always pleasing.
George,
Sounds like those clients you mention don’t appreciate the work behind the scenes (research, brainstorming etc.). That’s a shame.
Jon,
You’re more than welcome, and I hope you enjoy those Plike samples. It is a very nice card. Good luck with the re-brand you’re working on.
Antonio,
It’s interesting how you find computers don’t restrict the thought process. For me, when I want to record a thought or idea, the fastest way I know is to record it on paper. A tablet would do a similar job, but where using a mouse pointer and keyboard is involved, I don’t think it compares.
I agree you should choose what works best for you. One reason why I mention sketching is because a lot of budding designers I come into contact with wouldn’t even contemplate using a pen, not realising the benefit. I guess I’ve just got into the habit of churning out ideas before sitting at a computer, and I don’t think it’s a bad one. I’m very glad of the break from looking into a monitor, that’s for sure.
I don’t mean to tell people how to design, so apologies if it came across that way. Here I talk about how I design, and people are very welcome to take from that what they want.
Thanks for adding to the conversation, and having me think about the words I use.
Fantastic work, David. Our old typeface was a customised version of an existing type, which had much the same treatment as Berthier’s.
I like this logo very much. But it leaves me a little mystified, as do practically all of your logos…
I’m pretty young (experience-wise) in the design world, and one of the things I constantly struggle with is the balance between utter simplicity and complete encapsulation of a philosophy or message. This Berthier logo (and many of your others) is simple but refined, and strongly font driven, but the fonts you opt for are also very simple. I guess what I’m wondering is, at what point in the process do you know you’ve left the arena of just plonking down some bold fonts and words and a plain little icon, and arrived at brilliant, well-balanced design that sends the right message?
Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting that *your* logos are just fonts, words, plain little icons. I’m saying that *I* sometimes spend weeks messing with fonts, words and plain little icons before I finally feel like I’ve hit on a solid, satisfying design. And sometimes I never do arrive. You, though, have the magic touch (and a stellar eye)!
Another fine specimen. Great job on the customizations and keeping it simple. (Wondering why I’ve yet to purchase Gotham myself.)
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Great work David, really like it, its everything the brief described. Clean, modern, but exciting, I like the use and adaption of Gotham. Dealing with the negative and positive space when adapting typefaces can be tricky but you have pulled it off to great effect. Good work!
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Great simple modern design David and classy to boot.I’m starting to experiment with font customizing, but sadly it comes out looking like a dogs breakfast…can you offer any tips?
David, I really like the simplicity of the logo, and I appreciate you explaining the design process.
In your article you mentioned:
the aim which was to find the right balance to work alongside Japanese Kanji.
Could you elaborate a bit more on this? Kanji is the Chinese characters used in Japanese writing. There’s also Hiragana and Katakana. Kanji is more complex structure and less organic than the other two forms. How did you come up with the logo to compliment all three written forms?
Thanks!
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It’s good to be here. I always love the design process. All I can do to contribute is to share the same thing to the people of my mother tongue. Truly an inspiration. Designer icon. Keep up your good work!
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Great work. Love the simplicity. Do you ever share how much you charge for your logos? Or give a range, say for this one?
What an improvement. Great work. This is my favorite of your recent projects.
Nice work David. I’m not entirely sold on the balance of the shapes, but that may be my hang-up! It’s certainly a big improvement on the previous logo and works well on the visit card and website. Btw, you know Google indexes Flash now?
The rounded e and r looks sweet. But I’m surprised that the owner did not want any other art/vector as part of the logo - something that communicates the idea of their business.
David,
Congratulations on a great design and a satisfied client!
I want to add that your feeds have helped me immensly by giving new insight and perspective to both general design and logos.
Thanks for often giving us not only the finished design, but the process as well!
~Deirdre
David, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t accusing you of telling people how to design. I just wanted to add another point of view from someone who starts off with a computer and not a sketch book. It’s all subjective really.
I personally am not bothered by the “t” and think this is great! Would have come up with something along the same lines if you had been given complete creative freedom? I liked their input and think that their logotype looks wonderful but I still wonder.
Great design as always, I’m loving the font mods. The business cards turned out very nice as well.
One thing I was confused on was the white “ink” that was used. From the picture it looks like the foiling used on your cards or possibly a spot uv coating.
I really liked this new logo. It gave me new directions to think while working on my projects.
I really like what you have done David to the Gotham typeface especially the way you have rounded the ‘b’. This is a really nice logo. It is so much more professional and attractive than their old logo which did look a little dated. I Also really like the portrait business card or ‘visit card should I say. I usually always go for a landscape format when it comes to business card design but seeing your attractive portrait design has made me think that it is time I explored the portrait format. I think this is probably one of my favorite logos you have done and it will make an excellent addition to your impressive portfolio. Well done David.
darn, I’m late…
First thing I noticed about the logo, was how the _bowl_ of the ‘h’ and ‘b’ are non-circular, I think it adds character.Then Phil started complaining about the crossbar, what a schmuck ;)
Also the ‘e’ seems a bit right-heavy compared to how well balanced the other letters are, but it seems the best solution as it is right now.
Congrats and thanks very much for sharing!
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Do you have your old typeface online anywhere? It’d be nice to have a look.
Kristen,
Good question. You mention this:
I think it’s important to remember that a logo doesn’t need to encapsulate the whole message. I’d go so far as to say most effective logos don’t. Logos, primarily, as used as identifiers — symbols that help organisations stand apart from their competitors. You want the target audience to remember the logo, and often they’ll only catch a quick glimpse of the design. Therefore, simplicity aids recognition.
Does that help explain things?
Rob, Gareth,
Thank you kind sirs. Can you guess that Gotham is one of my favourites?
Fabian,
What helped with this type customisation, which you’ll notice from the image in the post, was that basically all the changes removed parts of the original text. So my tip is not to add too much, and first see if you can take anything away. Remember what Antoine de Saint-Exupery said:
Not that I’d say I’m perfect, mind.
Jin,
Thanks for picking up on a mistake within my text. I understand that Kanji are characters used in Japanese writing, so to phrase them as ‘Japanese Kanji’ was incorrect. Berthier use Kanji in their marketing material, so it was important the logo was of a similar line-weight, to keep a level of consistency when shown together. Hiragana and Katakana weren’t mentioned, because, though I’m guessing here, aren’t required for the Berthier stationery.
Rafie, James,
Good of you both to say so. Enjoy your weekend!
Mary Ann,
You’ll find a range of prices within my logo design questionnaire. Thanks very much.
Steve O,
Come to think of it, I remember seeing that a few times floating through my feed reader (Google indexing Flash). I can’t imagine it’s nearly as good as html though, is it? My knowledge is pretty thin to be honest.
Deirdre,
Glad to know you’re enjoying the subscription to my site. It’s a pleasure to have you as a reader.
Antonio,
No worries at all, buddy. I wasn’t taking it that way, and completely agree to the levels of subjectiveness that surround design.
Viola,
I’m really not sure what direction I’d have gone in with complete creative freedom. A large part of my job is to interpret, and act upon the wishes of others, which is why I enjoy working on personal projects too (for the extra freedom).
Rick,
I’d wondered if someone might ask that (about the ink). I angled the card at just the right angle so the sunlight would reflect off it. Without such a reflection, the reversed logo isn’t very noticeable — something I’m discussing with Dominique for his next card run.
Meraj, bubble,
Good of you both to comment, and I’m very happy to offer new directions for your own works.
David,
Great final result - would be interested to see your process on the actual font modification process. There might be a blog post in there somewhere! It’s something I personally have never undertaken - but clearly makes a serious impact on the final delivered result - what tools are you using for the job etc?
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oh, that’s excellent job, I love all of Your logotypes for now..:) and thanks for showing whole process again :)
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Hi David,
I like so much this kind of post with your work process, but I’m always curious especially about your brainstorming and mind mapping processes.
Can you share these phases with us?
Thanks.
Great LogoType design.
Whenever I do any design that will be printed I’m always worried about how it looks on my iMac vs how it will look on paper. What sort of steps do you go through to ‘calibrate’ your monitor so that what you design will be reflected on printed media? The black/white options for this logo won’t be an obstacle, but how did you decide on which shade of gray to use based on what you expected the printed result to be?
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I really enjoy these job breakdowns, this sort of approach would benifit almost any proffession. I personally find the organised clear headed model difficult to achieve, so I am taking notes, thanks David.
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i think the new logo looks fresh and clean. And the catalog looks nice as well. Thank you for sharing your process.
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You make it look SO EASY!
This logo “before and after” is a great example of something “good” being made “better”!
Isn’t it amazing how much a font can communicate? I’m just blown away by the tiny “alterations”.
Thanks for sharing the process. Awe inspiring!
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Outstanding again!
How long have you been designing logos and other stuff?
Hi David, like many who have commented, I really like the design. I’d give you some positive criticism, but there isn’t much except the issues already raised.
I was just wondering one thing. When you sent the files off to Dominique, what kind of black did you specify in the eps file? Is the reversed logotype over-laid on flat-black, or a custom CMYK mix (eg 60/40/40/100)? Also did you send him a ‘knocked-out’ version?
Sorry, I forgot…also, was it a Pantone or spot colour Black?
Another awesome logo. Just another day at the office of Mr. Airey. Kudos to you, David.
I just discovered your blog and I really enjoyed this post and pretty much your blog overall.
I’ve been interesting in going into the field of design but unfortunately my current university does not offer a solid graphic design program other universities in the area have but that does not stop me from trying to learn on my own!
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Those are nice ideas for blog posts, thanks (type modification, mindmapping process etc.).
Dainis, Steve, viince, Kathy,
You’re all very welcome, and thank you.
Jordan,
Good question. To be honest, I’m never 100% sure how a design will look in print, when viewing it on a monitor. The print company you use, the ink, the paper, will all have a bearing on the outcome. A proof should always be requested, prior to large runs.
Pat,
I’ve been involved with graphic design since back in 1995, when I first began my art and design studies.
Andrew,
Dominique was a client who was more than capable altering the filetypes himself (or having his designers alter them), so where the file supply was concerned, I sent over a four colour process version, using 100% Key.
I’d normally provide other options, but it wasn’t necessary. Dealing with designers helps in that respect. I hope that answers your question?
Juno, Karina,
Glad you both enjoyed this logo feature.
Wow, what a glowing testimonial from Dominique! That must’ve felt good :)
Was it a stretch for you to use only type to design this logo? Most of the ones you show us have a mark as well. You did an excellent job incorporating open, fresh and comfortable into the logo. I think this is one of my favorites of yours I’ve seen so far. Would you say this project was the most challenging you’ve worked on? I would’ve been so intimidated by Dominique!
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Nice process, I love they way you treated the font to get that round and refined shapes. A kind of a tutorial. Thank you.
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Hi David – a great result! When customising a font like this, it might have been interesting to let us see the different versions of modifications – assuming you had them and it wasn’t just an evolving process. To see versions where you went too far, or decided it wasn’t enough would be great to see!
I was very happy that Dominique gave his testimonial. Especially as I’m more than pleased with the result. This project was certainly one of my more challenging ones, but not because there’s no separate icon / symbol. Mainly because I was working with designers, so there was a bit more give and take than usual.
Thanks, Chaitanya.
Ryan,
I didn’t want to bore readers with too long a post, hence all the pieces I’ve left out of the process, such as the various modifications that were disregarded. It’s good to know you’d like to see them, though. Cheers for that.
@ David. Yeah, thanks for the info…
Good stuff!
Beautiful, I like it a lot - in it’s pure form and also ‘in use’.
I think a lot can be achieved when adapting fonts, I often do this when designing and some of my favourite designs have adapted from altering font shapes.
I was about to ask you ‘what font is that it’s gorgeous’, but then I spotted your explanation of how the letters evolved.
It looks very good on their website also.
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I’m very pleased with how Dominique has presented the logo online. On many previous occasions I’ve had clients enlarge their online logo and leave no breathing room.
How did you edit the font? Did you use some type of font editor?
I used Adobe Illustrator — what I always use when digitally creating logos.
great work on this one. i always a sucker for a modified gothic typeface (especially gotham). it’s interesting to see so many ideas that lead back to something so elegantly simple.
Hi David,
I like very much your work in this logo, with the modifications on typeface you turn it very fresh. Thank you for share your process work.
Best Regards!