Background:
Properties By Owner is a local business that has been used the same identity for the 25 years it has been in business. The business is very successful despite its poorly designed logo; they have an 85% sell through rate on all homes they put through their program. The owner realized his logo didn't match or help his business. At first he was taken back by my design quote but eventually understood it was an investment rather then an expense for his business.

The client's existing logo was created by a non-designer and presented a number of problems, readability being a major issue. The word 'PROPERTIES' was far easier to read than 'BY OWNER,' and when combined together, it was an awkward fit at best. From a distance, one could only read the word 'PROPERTIES', providing one could decipher the typestyle and kerning.

The graphic shown at the bottom is an example of the inconsistent use of their logo on envelopes. This cluttered mess comes across as amateurish and trite.

The client was attached to this logo, and it had been associated with his business for 25 years, thus holding some branding for the owner. Part of our design challenge was to create a mark that, in some way, would retain aspects of the old mark's equity without repeating its shortcomings.

BEFORE:

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