When Liam Lawson wanted a brand that encapsulated his character, 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 singular brand that might stand other than the modern, 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 linked with Lawson after creating the branding for the Los Angeles-based expertise company that represents him. The Purple Bull driver curated a temper board, with the assistance of his staff, that includes a mixture of streetwear manufacturers, iconic racing visuals and design references from different industries. “We wished to be sure that the model was greater than simply racing, and that it may very well be used for a lot of issues sooner or later,” Keenan defined.
The emblem they devised options an illustrated character resembling Lawson with a cheeky grin, a mischievous look in his eye, and a vibrant pink backwards cap. Apparently nonetheless, 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 mentioned. “He gave us a bit 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 property, Keenan had a second of reconsideration. “I known as Liam’s social media supervisor and mentioned, ‘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 steadiness between Lawson’s easygoing character away from the F1 paddock and his fierce competitiveness behind the wheel.
James mentioned he “loves the dichotomy” of the model they created. “It’s fairly unassuming, it is a bit bit cute and playful, however then on the race monitor he is truly this loopy menace, so I just like the steadiness between these two sides of him,” he mentioned.
James additionally famous that the design transient prolonged past motorsport to Lawson’s different doable pursuits. “He’s very all for style and music as properly,” the illustrator defined. “So I believe these are the issues that they wish to develop the model into ultimately.”
The pair additionally envision the brand 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 numerous eventualities. I believe Liam and his staff favored the malleability of having the ability to have the character remodel or shift into no matter it must be in that second.”
Whereas the preliminary design part is full, Keenan and James imagine they’re solely scratching the floor of what’s doable. “We wish to preserve constructing on it sooner or later,” James mentioned. “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 satisfaction for the duo.
“He’s a Kiwi, we’re each Kiwis… and once we’re on the world stage, we wish to make an influence,” Keenan mentioned. “We wish to be seen and be heard, so we made positive that this brand was going to face out and be completely different from all the pieces else.”
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