ATHÉNAÏA Logo Design

Overview of the Project:

• Project: ATHÉNAÏA

• Client Industry: High Fashion & Lifestyle

• Services: Logo Design, Brand Identity System, Vector Illustration

• Tools: Manual Sketching, CorelDRAW

• Deliverables: Primary Logo, Logo Variations, Print-Ready Vectors and Social Media files.

ATHÉNAÏA is a high-fashion brand seeking a logo that radiates elegance and luxury. As the lead Logo Designer, my role was to translate a specific vision involving organic elements and classic typography into a cohesive brand mark suitable for clothing labels, marketing materials, and digital presence.

ATHÉNAÏA provided a highly detailed brief with a clear aesthetic in mind: a sophisticated look anchored by a golden ginkgo leaf and premium serif typography. The primary goal was to create a versatile logo that could hold its own on high-end garment tags as effectively as it does on a website header.

However, the project faced early friction. Despite a strong brief, initial concepts didn’t quite align with the client’s mental image due to miscommunication on the nuances of the aesthetic. The challenge wasn’t just design; it was interpretation and alignment.

To overcome the initial hurdles, I took a strategic pivot. I moved away from my standard workflow and implemented a rigid, step-by-step approval process to ensure we were aligned at every milestone.

• Typography First: We stripped the design back to basics, testing various high-quality premium serif fonts to find the perfect weight and character. We settled on a typeface that offered a modern yet timeless European fashion feel.

• The Icon (The Ginkgo): Once the font was locked, I moved to the graphical element. This phase involved extensive sketching—starting with paper and pencil to capture the organic flow of a ginkgo leaf, then refining it digitally.

• Integration: The breakthrough moment came in merging the typography with the icon. We developed a monogram where the serif ‘A’ naturally blooms into the golden ginkgo leaf, symbolizing growth and “The Soul of Home.”

• Color & Refinement: We established a sophisticated palette featuring a deep, chocolate charcoal paired with a soft, metallic gold.

By resetting the workflow and breaking the project down into granular steps, we eliminated the miscommunication and achieved a winning formula.

The final deliverable is a modular logo system created in CorelDRAW, including:

• A Primary Wordmark with the full “ATHÉNAÏA” name and slogan.

• A Monogram Icon (The ‘A’ with the Ginkgo leaf) for social media avatars and garment tags.

• Color Variations optimized for both light and dark backgrounds.

The result is a brand identity that feels established, luxurious, and perfectly aligned with the client’s high-fashion aspirations.