1.) I sought an ‘S’ for Sequoia to emblemize the logo first and foremost. I knew it had to be a serif-based type, with a nice contrast between thicks and thins of letterform, that had a level classicsm to it. I found the form of Goudy Old Style Bold to be just right.

2.) Next, I had to figure out how tie in the name of the company visually with what they provide. I found the negative shapes of the ‘S’ nearly mimicking the shape of a curving leaf – which is nature’s own drapery. It also connotes trees, which naturally lends itself as an association to the company name (Sequoia). By bending the stem around the letterform, it gives an appearance of being hooked onto the letter and further pushes the association of drapery rings/curtain loops wrapping around curtain rods. I created a basic layout and tested it floating as well as with a color background to see how legible the leaf shapes were.

3.) After concluding that the leaves weren’t quite obvious enough, I decided to add some very simple line work to help pronounce the leaves a bit more. I added some very subtle gradients, textures and shadows to add dimensionality and viola!

1.) Below is the original UI sample provided for reference, with directives stating that the focus was on a clean and clear re-skin that focused on the key call-to-action points of the site. I was to only use a straight typographic spellout of the company name as a logo, with no additional design re-working or flare.

2.) Next, I was provided with a quaint wireframe from the Product Manager which I was requested to adhere to strictly in structural hierarchy. The goal was to show the primary content areas without re-ordering them in any way.

3.) After reading the brief on the assignment, I decided to update the overall look and feel to be more inline with popular social-media/network sites. I aimed to keep the colors light, making sure the necessary call-to-action elements were most bold and immediate. I added a bit of dimensionality and texture to add a bit of a pop to the button elements. I created the idea of a drawer below the polling question, so once a vote had been cast, the drawer would close – leaving the primary focus on the addition of arguments and user interaction (right content panel).

All-in-all, I think the re-skin did what it was intended to do. I am quite happy with the result, and if I were to critique my own work – I’d perhaps consider giving the neutral grays a slight color value to help warm up the overall appearance just a bit more.