kanoosh.art - Kickstart logo

The original logo, seen on the left, was generated using AI from the client. While it had many visually engaging elements such as wings, stars, bold typography, and line work these components competed with each other visually and ultimately clashed with the central shield form. The composition lacked cohesion and struggled to communicate a clear, unified identity.

The client expressed the need for a logo that better reflected the values of a football academy: professionalism, simplicity, and clarity. They envisioned something clean, iconic, and representative of their academy a symbol they could build their identity around. The brief emphasized a minimal aesthetic, using only three brand colours: red, soft black, and white.

Given that the academy is based in New Zealand, I explored national symbolism and landed on the Kiwi as the core visual anchor. I experimented with different ways to integrate the Kiwi both in full and abstract forms into the logo. These initial concepts also played with the size, orientation, and placement of the text to explore balance, hierarchy, and legibility.

To add an unexpected twist and create a stronger symbolic presence, I explored the idea of using three Kiwis arranged in a circular formation. Each Kiwi was stylised with football textures, forming a subtle football-inspired badge while also symbolising unity, teamwork, and national pride. This shape offered a more memorable and unique design that stayed within the mood and palette outlined by the client.

As part of the design exploration, I also revisited the original AI-generated logo to see if there was a way to refine and reconstruct it in a more structured and readable form. I tested new layouts where the Kiwi became the central element and the shield served as a framing device rather than an overpowering shape. This helped bring balance to the composition and strengthened the overall identity.

In the development phase, I began stripping back unnecessary detail to create a more refined and timeless logo. I focused on clarity of the logos visuals. Font selection became key at this stage particularly for the "K.S.F" type treatment as I worked toward a bold yet elegant circular badge layout that aligned with global football branding standards.

The client responded positively to the cleaner direction and requested a small final adjustment to the wording. With those changes made, we arrived at the final design: a modern, balanced, and professional badge that captures the spirit of the academy while offering a strong foundation for future brand applications.