The Art Deco style and a rich sense of history define the Grove Arcade as a building. Realizing E.W. Grove’s vision took countless hours of painstaking work by talented builders and craftsmen, all collaborating to achieve a common aesthetic goal. Drawing inspiration from archival sketches, blueprints, and photographs, we used the original source material as our guide for every aspect of this rebranding. As designers, it was great to have such a wealth of resources at our disposal and it made our jobs that much easier. Bringing the Grove Arcade branding into the 21st century was just a matter of reinterpreting the classic design features and updating them to fit modern design trends.
Problem:
Need to update the logo for an iconic shopping center while preserving the historical design elements that make it such a unique place.
Solution:
Preserve the overall aesthetic by pulling from original source material and using modern tools to create new designs and illustrations.
The northern entrance to the building is flanked by a pair of winged lions guarding either side of the walkway. These lions are an iconic feature of the building, so we definitely wanted to incorporate them into the branding in a significant way. Working from photos of the real life sculptures, we created a simplified vector illustration of the lion in profile using Adobe Illustrator. This figure lined up nicely next to the main word mark, creating the layout that was chosen for the full logo image. The font used in the word mark is Samford, chosen because it reflects the serif styled typography popular at the time of the building’s construction. In creating these new designs, we were constantly coming back to the origins of the space and the artisans that created the original structure.
Problem:
Need to create custom iconography for use on a new website.
Solution:
In our search for inspiration, all we had to do was look around the physical space and ideas started presenting themselves. The upper reaches of the interior and exterior are decorated with various carvings and grotesques depicting archetypal characters: The Prince, The Judge, The Medusa, The Jester, and The Ram. These intricate and expressive faces were not part of the existing branding, so when we needed to create some custom iconography for Grove Arcade’s website, they were a perfect fit. The faces had an angular and geometric style that translated well to vector illustration, and the details were simple enough that they could be reduced to work at smaller sizes with limited colors. By bringing these figures out of the architecture and into the branding, we were able to put a spotlight on a decorative feature that might otherwise be overlooked while staying true to the spirit of the building.
Problem:
Need to create an identity for an outdoor artists market.
Solution:
Grove Arcade also features an outdoor artists market that needed its own separate identity. Taking place under a distinct portico covering that runs the length of the building’s south face, this Makers Market had its main brand elements built into the site: a unique architectural feature combined with the outdoor market setting. The logo was created using photo reference and adhering to the Art Deco geometry found throughout the rest of the building. The color scheme is bolder and more saturated than other branding in the Grove Arcade, reflecting the vibrant shops and vendors that occupy the space on a rotating basis. This badge design was the most modern aspect of the rebranding, but in a way that still ties back to classic early 20th century design.
Results:
Grove Arcade now has a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing logo and identity.
We were able to successfully create a logo, icons and other assets that pay homage to the building’s history while bringing the branding up to modern standards.
A new lease on life for Grove Arcade, which had struggled to stay relevant in the past. With the new graphics in place, they were able to attract new customers as well as new tenants looking to open shops or restaurants in a competitive, tourism-driven market.
