PRODATEC: a corporate identity project

During the first months of 2008 we completed a corporate identity project for a recently created company called Prodatec Consultores S.L.. Prodatec provides services for companies in the fields of consulting, data protection and learning, as well as assistance for quality certification procedures, environmental studies, food safety and corporate insurance.

The corporate identity and specifically the symbol created for PRODATEC came from a long and interesting research and trial process, which began with a brainstorming session here at Globulart (after a detailed interview with the client, documentation and research, and a study of the sector and our client’s needs—which pretty much sums up our standard procedure). 

This process was followed by the creation of the first sketches of the logo, a couple of meetings to put our ideas in common, and sharing each other’s files to study and refine them. It turned out to be quite amusing, how we achieved to create varied and sometimes unexpected iterations of the sketches, after all the mutual “groping” of each other’s files. Once we set on a defined line of work and aesthetic, one of the designers took the helm of the project and assumed the task of finishing it. We have often used this work method, always with good results. 

The main concepts our client wanted to convey through the identity were: strength, experience and reliability. This was the premise upon which we based the needs of Prodatec, in terms of communication, and we used that to develop the identity; it used basic, strong shapes, like the square and the circle, “extra bold” line widths, bold and sans-serif typefaces and sober, elegant colors with metallic tints.

The result is a logo with a thick circle cut by a vertical line. Visually, this emulates the insertion of a CD into a computer, but at the same times conveys a sense of strength and stability, thanks to the vertical line and the unconscious perception of the complete circle. Such perception is confirmed by one of the “Gestalt Laws” called “Law of Closure”, which states:

Objects grouped together are seen as a whole. We tend to ignore gaps and complete contour lines. In the image above, there are no triangles or circles, but our minds fill in the missing information to create familiar shapes and images.

It also intends to transmit a sense of modernity and technology, as Prodatec’s field of work is strictly linked to computers and the handling and storage of information.

The image is completed with a text written with a sans-serif typeface, which echoes the visual strength of the symbol. The main color combination (dark blue with grey) talks of experience, seriousness, elegance and academic formalism, thus emphasizing the message that it is a company formed by top experts in their respective fields. 

That was the main color combination, but we had to develop additional ones (following the same color logic) for each of the branches of the company. It wasn’t an easy task, as they have eight separate ones and we ended up feeling dizzy after hours of examining the color palettes time and time again

The following images show the color schemes we created for each branch of Prodatec: 

The client also needed a sign for the main door; we created a design to be applied on a steel plate. This implied a lot of research and learning on this type of material: differences between working with aluminum and steel, suitable metals for laser etching, number of inks that can be used, cut vinyl… In the end, the upper part, the one with the logo, was made with adhesive printable vinyl, and the contact info was printed with laser etching directly on the steel. The following image is a pretty accurate rendition of the final aspect of the sign (there is an actual photograph at their website).

The following images show some of the designs we created for the corporate stationery (click to enlarge):