When Liam Lawson wanted a brand that encapsulated his persona, his racing model and his heritage, New Zealand-based graphic designers Harris Keenan and Oliver James stepped as much as the duty. With solely three weeks to carry the idea to life final yr, the duo got down to create a novel brand that will stand aside from the smooth, monochromatic branding related to most different F1 drivers. The result’s a particular emblem that displays each Lawson’s fiery driving model and his pursuits off monitor.
Keenan and James first related with Lawson after creating the branding for the Los Angeles-based expertise company that represents him. The Crimson Bull driver curated a temper board, with the assistance of his workforce, that includes a mixture of streetwear manufacturers, iconic racing visuals and design references from different industries. “We wished to ensure that the model was larger than simply racing, and that it may very well be used for a lot of issues sooner or later,” Keenan defined.
The brand they devised options an illustrated character resembling Lawson with a cheeky grin, a mischievous look in his eye, and a brilliant pink backwards cap. Curiously nevertheless, the character was initially conceived in Lawson’s head, lengthy earlier than he ever stepped foot on the F1 grid.
“He is been drawing the character for a few years,” Keenan stated. “He gave us a bit of sketch drawing that he did himself… and we wished to maintain it actually easy, however we added the cap and the little cheeky grin.”
The preliminary design featured spherical, pleasant eyes, however after submitting the belongings, Keenan had a second of reconsideration. “I referred to as Liam’s social media supervisor and stated, ‘We have to change the eyes and make them extra menacing, extra aggressive… as a result of that’s how he drives and the way he operates on the monitor’.” That tiny adjustment helped strike the stability between Lawson’s easygoing persona away from the F1 paddock and his fierce competitiveness behind the wheel.
James stated he “loves the dichotomy” of the model they created. “It’s fairly unassuming, it is a bit of bit cute and playful, however then on the race monitor he is really this loopy menace, so I just like the stability between these two sides of him,” he stated.
James additionally famous that the design transient prolonged past motorsport to Lawson’s different potential pursuits. “He’s very inquisitive about trend and music as properly,” the illustrator defined. “So I believe these are the issues that they need to develop the model into finally.”
The pair additionally envision the emblem evolving over time. “OBB Media was certainly one of our references,” James went on. “They’ve this character that has developed over time and now turns into an icon in several situations. I believe Liam and his workforce preferred the malleability of with the ability to have the character rework or shift into no matter it must be in that second.”
Whereas the preliminary design part is full, Keenan and James consider they’re solely scratching the floor of what’s potential. “We need to preserve constructing on it sooner or later,” James stated. “It’s meant to transcend simply being on a helmet, and that’s what we’ve been chipping away at within the background.” Standing out from the pack of sharp, minimalistic logos was additionally some extent of nationwide delight for the duo.
“He’s a Kiwi, we’re each Kiwis… and once we’re on the world stage, we need to make an affect,” Keenan stated. “We need to be seen and be heard, so we made certain that this brand was going to face out and be completely different from all the things else.”
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Emily Selleck
Method 1
Tradition
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