I originally designed the Studio logo back at the turn of the Millenium, a graphic Saturn Icon based on what became a signature digital illustration for the studio branding. This I later paired with the classic and elegant humanist sans-serif typeface Optima designed by Hermann Zapf in the 1950s, in various configurations and as the Studio’s signature typeface. Its clean lines were no-nonsense but still evoked a hint of Science Fiction. Eventually I combined the original illustration with the graphics to greate an integrated logomark.

Of course, after nearly twenty years, in 2019 I decided that it was time for a refresh. And of course in what is almost a cliché, a scribble on the back of an envelope. This became a tighter sketch, which led to the letterforms. I experimented with variations of the letterforms, and in the process discovered the power of bling. Test viewers would almost invariably pick the FRS Saturn background as the “better” logo over the industrial style, regardless of the letterform shapes or styling.

The resulting final logo and logomarks are sleeker, cleaner and has a refreshed look, but with a clear lineage to it’s graphic ancestor. It graces the new Website and is being deployed throughout the studio branding. The Optima stays, it’s freakin’ classic. Fight me.