The Way of the Sword is the Way of the Heart

Brand Identity Re-design

Brand Manual

AEK (Ecuadorian Kendo Association) contacted me to redesign their logotype and their entire brand. AEK oversees all the Kendo (Japanese fencing) Dojos in Ecuador, as well as managing local tournaments, seminars, grading exams, towards the improvement and development of the martial art. The main request was to revamp the brand and create something that can be used in any type of media as well as differentiate themselves from other worldwide organizations.

Since Kendo is a Japanese Martial art, I based my design approach on the Kamon (Japanese Family Crest) designs. My idea was to create a "family symbol" for the AEK as they act as a family for all the dojos in the country. Also, I took elements from the Ecuadorian flag and Kendo to combine them into something unique and different. My client was happy with the result, and they use their brand across all media and events they participate in, both locally and internationally.

The previous brand design didn't have any element to differentiate from other similar logotypes. It was clear in terms of typography, but it didn't show any element related to Kendo other than the Japanese characters (kanji) for the name of the martial art, and the place where everything started.

Based on the Kamon designs, I combined the Condor (national Ecuadorian symbol) with the mask of the Kendo armor, to create a symbol that represents both Ecuador and Kendo in a unique way.

Along with all the deliverables I designed a Brand Manual to help AEK to use their new brand in the best way possible across all the media they need it to be present. This manual included definitions on size usage, typography, examples of good and bad use, and more. Something to be referenced for future usage by AEK.

This new brand was used by AEK in a variety of events, tournaments, and seminars locally and around the world. The adaptability of the brand makes it easy to use, identify and remember no matter where the client uses it.