From the desk of Mr. Monk

Bal (my Special Interest Group’s tutor) gave me a short one week brief. Today I presented the outcome.

I’m going to warn you before I continue, as it is a very touchy subject which is partly the point Bal was trying to make.

I was asked to find out about Birmingham City Football Club’s ‘Zulu Warriors’. These are some pretty bad-ass people and you wouldnt want to mess with them. The ‘Zulus’ are a football firm who basically beat the crap out of opposing teams supporters. Its a bit like an extremist religion which meant that I had to approach the brief carefully and sensitively. Now the reason Bal asked me to do this was because sometimes you will get a brief that you dont like the idea of and you have to learn or get into the mind-set to fully understand it.

My research automatically lends itself to the emerging trend of showing off your personality online. The ‘Zulus’ are true brand loyalists, they love to be a part of this firm. A lot of the preaching is done by 15-18 year olds on social networking sites so I began to design a brand that could be applied online as a badge. It should say ‘I am a zulu’ in one word; Zulu.

My interpretation of the hypothetical brand is as follows; bold and legible from a distance whilst instantly recognisable.

The blue is there for the obvious reason that it is the colour of BCFC. If I were to take this away then it would be like ripping out the heart of the identity. The red is what makes it more interesting. It has a number of connotations attached to it because of its application. The underline stands to do two things, it not only grounds the type and makes it appear as if it is standing on top of something it also references the more classical interpretation of the word Zulu. When Zulu warriors marked their captives for slaughter they would mark with a red dye (or looking earlier back, blood). This tribal target theory follows through the the filled counter. These are like targets but also act as war paint stripes. If you isolate the letters ULU it begins to then look like a face. This means that the brand has room for future development. The Z could be dropped and the brand could be shortened to ‘ulu’ which could look particularly great as hardcore tatoo.

The Z however, is a brand in itself. The acute points refers to simplified spear heads, an aggressive weapon that induces brutal slow pain. The strokes are a unified weight and the spine is set at a harsh angle to suggest fast travelling motion. Combine these two ideas and you get a powerful message.

The face is completely custom and creates a sense of aggression, strength and unease. it may not be for the nicest people on the planet but I do feel that I have learnt from the short experience.