Crescent Hadeed
I designed the brand identity for Crescent Hadeed, a new steel manufacturer and a division of Crescent Group, one of Pakistan’s leading industrial conglomerates.
branding, graphic design, copywriting
Ambition
Crescent Group is an established leader in the industrial and manufacturing sectors in Pakistan. In 2016, the Group set up a dedicated company to manufacture and market steel billets, a raw form of steel. Company leadership wanted a strong, confident and timeless brand identity to support their ambition of a leading steel manufacturer.
Action
As we began the project, we conducted wide-ranging visual research, learned about of steel production processes and the many uses of steel, and familiarized ourselves with the company culture and ambition at Crescent Group. We explored a number of concepts and, after several iterations and discussion, went with a direction we nicknamed the ‘Web of Life’.
Outcome
The brand identity is simple, modern and confident. The spare color palette and clean, sharp design elements allow for easy adaptability across different uses. In addition to its functional strengths, the brand also celebrates steel and imbues a sense of purpose in the identity.
Additonal credit: Design renders by Emran Baluch.
Roles and Skills
Branding
Graphic design
Copywriting
Additonal credit: Design renders by Emran Baluch.
Crescent Group approached us (Carnelian) to design the brand identity for their new steel billet division, Crescent Hadeed. One of the first things we did was understand what steel billets were: a raw form of steel produced in the form of long, thick bars with a square cross section. (Image from Tradewheel)
We explored a number of different design directions. One of the most promising options imagined a solid bar as a literal representation of the steel billet, as well as a metaphorical steel ‘platform’ upon which our modern world is built—steel is the foundation of many great things: transport, infrastructure, and energy to name a few
For the bar option, nicknamed ‘Platform’, we explored a brand visual language composed of steel billets in both flat and semi-realistic styles.
We ultimately selected an option we nicknamed the 'Web of Life’. The icon is a literal interpretation of the rough surface of the cross-section of a steel billet. At the same time, it references the fact that steel is weaved into our lives and, in a way, creates a web that sustains our economies, industries, movement and other aspects of life.
The logo was rendered in black-on-white and white-on-black, and in a secondary horizontal lock-up.
The brand expression ‘It starts here.’ captures the essence of steel’s significance in our world and the fact that steel billet is literally where steel begins.
The typography, set in Pluto Sans and Aleo, supports the brand’s simple, solid aesthetic.
The collateral designs shared the ethos of simplicity and minimalism reflected in the main logo mark.
A monochromatic palette and the simple, clean graphic devices lends the collateral a refined look.