Case studies by Catalyst Design Partnership, Cambridgeshire graphic design company supplying corporate identity, printed literature, brochures and advertising, websites, new media and exhibitions

Brief
The client was running two steel construction companies that overlapped some skills, had just bought two further companies within the same industry, and wanted:
• a new corporate identity which incorporates the two current divisions and the two new acquisitions into one cohesive group
• to help prospective clients easily understand the distinction between the four different company divisions
• a branding to reflect the prestigious and iconic quality of their clients and projects
• a corporate identity that works across many different applications, and appeals to a wide range of clientele including construction engineers and top architectural practices.

Solution
Catalyst produced a corporate identity system that is strong, simple and flexible. The system works across a wide range of applications including company signage, clothing, vehicles, site signage, etc. The new website reflects the high quality of Darke's projects and neatly defines the four divisions of the group.

Result
Although Darke are already highly respected in their field of work, the new corporate identity unites the divisions and endorses their talents, skills and commitment to rank alongside the key players in the steel working industry.

Darke corporate logo system

Darke website

Darke signage and workwear

Darke vehicle signage

Brief
The client had in development a new hi-fi product with the holding name Musicmate, and wanted:
• to establish a brand and develop cohesive and consistent launch collateral that appeals to the target market of 20 — 35 year olds.

Solution
By researching and understanding the target market, Catalyst designed the musicm8 logo to appeal specifically to the target group. The flexible logo and graphic styling, which incorporates an illustration produced in-house by Catalyst, is used throughout – in the product interface, product packaging, point of sale promotional cards, website, and in national advertising in Stuff and T3 magazines etc.

Result
The striking logo and eye-catching graphics have quickly helped to establish musicm8 as a highly sought-after product in a challenging marketplace.

musicm8 brand logo designs

Website design and construction for musicm8

Promotional flyers and magazine advertising

Packaging and POS for musicm8

Brief
The client wanted to send out a promotional item:
• to ensure that the DALROD name is always on view to customers
• to ensure that their contact details are easily available
• to make the DALROD name stand out head and shoulders above their competitors.

Solution
We took a look at the broader picture, and developed several ideas that would offer maximum marketing potential and work for more than 'one shot'. DALROD chose our aluminium metal drain cover concept, to work perfectly as a quirky promotional coaster but that can also be printed onto the CDs & DVDs the company uses for its daily reports. Our suggestion that the coaster could be housed in a teaser flyer was taken up enthusiastically. This not only made the piece more memorable, but also allowed us to present the recipient with additional information about DALROD's services.

Result
Catalyst took a much-used promotional item and, whilst keeping within a designated budget, made it work harder, turning it into a more valuable information source for potential clients. In addition, using the drain design on CDs & DVDs helps to reinforce the brand to current clients in an interesting way and on a day-to-day basis.

Promotional coaster flyer

Promotional CD and DVD flyer

Brief
Cambridgeshire-based Premier Chemicals have won sole European distribution rights for Intersurgical's new soda-lime products specifically aimed at the rebreather and professional diving market. The name DIVELIME had been chosen and Catalyst were asked to produce ideas for a new identity.

Stage 1 – Mind maps and sketch pads
Our first stage is to create a mind map – a map of associated words and phrases that allow us to generate ideas in a number of different but linked directions. From here we resort to the good old sketch pad. Drawing freehand allows us to generate ideas quickly and efficiently without the hindrance of the computer.

Stage 2 – Fonts and development of key ideas
The next stage is to choose a selection of suitable fonts from our extensive font library and then to generate and develop our sketched ideas on computer using a number of different programs. As the ideas take shape it's very important to keep referring back to our original thoughts and to keep a focus on the different directions that have been decided in stage 1.

Stage 3 – Focus, refinement and testing
Next comes the hard part! Catalyst usually generate three clear and distinct approaches to show to the client. These have been developed and refined from the ideas generated in the previous stage - all the time testing for clarity and direction and checking against our original 'pure' ideas. In this case the client had already suggested the idea of a "lime in a wetsuit", so this was developed as one of the ideas. The designs are then presented to the client as printed visuals. In this case, after the initial presentation, the client asked to see the second idea in a different colourway. However once they had seen it they settled on our original design and the work was signed off ready for final artwork and production of the logo system.

Stage 4 – Artwork of chosen logo
Once the design has been agreed Catalyst then go back to scratch and re-generate the logo taking particular care to kern the characters accurately and to make sure that spacing around the logo is consistant and logical. In this case some of the original font characters were altered and adjusted to aid legibility. The 'rebreather infinity' icon was carefully generated in Adobe Illustrator ensuring perfect spacing of the elements and an even transition of the graduation at exactly the correct point.

Stage 5 – Production of logo system
Once the initial logo has been produced Catalyst then generate a number of alternative colourways as well as single colour and greyscale versions. These are then all supplied on CD or DVD in a wide range of formats along with a set of usage guidelines.

Result
The end result of this process is a strong and consistent corporate logo system that can be used across a wide range of applications. DIVELIME now have a professional and authoritative identity which is paramount to their success in the extreme sports marketplace where the quality and reliability of their product can mean the difference between life and death. View the DIVELIME website portfolio page.