Chasing white whales
A luxury development in Cabo that we'd worked with in the past had a new development in the works and we were tapped to create the new identity.
A luxury development in Cabo that we'd worked with in the past had a new development in the works and we were tapped to create the new identity.
The location is near El Faro Viejo in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, at the southernmost tip of the Baja peninsula. Located on the property is the lighthouse that allowed Cabo to become a fishing mecca (before it became an amazing tourist destination).
Our recommendation was an homage to the sailing days of old, when going to sea was an act of courage as much as adventure, and the things seen were as mysterious as a mind could imagine. This led to us exploring the mysteries of the sea - from the fantastical imaginations of those who went out, to the ships that carried them back, and even the light that guided them home.
The process ended up being a Melville worthy epic of round after round of exploration, iteration and, in the end, a beast that wasn't to be captured.
The beginning.
The "flying mystery fish" - Designed by senior art director Randy Schulz, I was asked to create a fish, based on an old reference drawing he'd found, but with some connections to Tuna (the primary fish that was caught from the fleet at Cabo). Keeping the essence of the imaginative drawings a sailor might come up with, we altered the head a bit and simplified elements to get to a logo illustration that would fit the type design and overall feel.
Wanting this mark to be truly special, I created a few alternate versions for ideal reproduction: The original mark (left), a reversed version that wasn't simply reversing the art, but instead was redrawn to look proper on a dark background (center), and a simplified version for use in embroidery or small space use for clarity.
Additionally, we created some monogram options that could be incorporated in metalwork on property or anywhere a secondary mark would make sense.
The first pivot
The client was very happy with the original direction, but was nervous about the imaginative fish having the appeal for a luxury buyer. Unconvinced by our backstory and confidence in the iconic nature of the original mark, we were tasked with looking at a new version featuring a whale - whale breaching is an iconic view you can see right from your property since the continental shelf drops off right off shore. In one afternoon on property we saw more than we could count. Pretty spectacular.
The solution was to create an iconic whale with a similar curving shape to maintain the original shape relationship with the type of the original mark.
The client requested a more realistic approach to the whale, so another exploration was done to see if that might work. Our feeling was that although a more realistic whale worked, it was beginning to lose some of the character of the original marks.
I took the challenge of a more realistic whale body but with some character in the face and came up with this version - my second favorite look after the original fish. A different feel for sure from the mystery fish, but still, an iconic/ownable mark that would be worthy of the elevated brand we were building. Also created a reversed version of this one that maintained the feel of the positive mark but was every bit it's equal.
The second pivot
At this point, the client asked for us to explore using El Faro Viejo (The old lighthouse) as the mark. Working from photo reference we took while on site, we came up with these marks as options in that vein. Our recommendation was still to move forward with the original fish or the latest whale as they had more character and would be more brand worthy, but this exploration was one the client requested to make sure we were right.
The third pivot
Having realized the lighthouse would be too literal a representation (and some concerns about the authenticity of the actual building - it had been through some renovations that may have been less true to the original), the client now focused on the sailing ships that had gone to sea and might have appeal to the luxury buyer.
The fourth pivot
It was at this time that we were asked to look at the lighthouse again, but with a much more modern approach. Kristy Roehrs did the first iteration of this mark, and I expanded on it to provide more options. We actually liked this direction quite a bit - it was a huge departure from where we started, but it was still very iconic, ownable and brand worthy.
The final pivot
In the end, the client never got comfortable with any mark to represent the property and ultimately decided to just go with a type solution. Incredibly disappointing that I wasn't able to convince them that our marks would elevate the brand, but it was a great lesson in humility - I always tell our team that there's a million ways to solve a problem, little did I know I'd get a chance to prove myself wrong :) - regardless, here's to chasing those white whales.
