When asked what went into the decision of the company name, identity and the outward-facing side of what we do, whether the website, reports or other media that is distributed by Aluciant, the response is… research.
Starting with Aluciants’ core values and the company energy to steer the decision towards the ultimate ‘feel’ for Aluciant. Thorough research on the meaning and feeling of fonts, color, and corporate identity was conducted to assist with the decision making process.
The Font:
We require a font that is good for screen and print, as well as flowing for those reading technical reports. Availability on various platforms (operating systems) is required, along with the ability to transfer to various formats (word, PDF, website etc.) The technical reports can be difficult to read without the effort to work through a poorly selected font.
We selected LORA as our go-to font. It is available from Google for multiple OS’s, platforms and software. The following is from google fonts:
Lora is a well-balanced contemporary serif with roots in calligraphy. It is a text typeface with moderate contrast well suited for body text.
A paragraph set in Lora will make a memorable appearance because of its brushed curves in contrast with driving serifs. The overall typographic voice of Lora perfectly conveys the mood of a modern-day story, or an art essay.
Technically Lora is optimised for screen appearance, and works equally well in print.
Aluciant is trying to tell you a modern story about a vessel or asset, its condition or operations. The font has a key role in our deliverables. It helps to keep the reader engaged, reports easily read and appealing to the eye.
The Colors:
Colors convey messages, feelings and are instantly recognizable. Stop signs are red for a reason.
Red: The universal sign of excitement, passion and anger. Is your brand loud, playful, youthful or modern? Think red. More mature, classic or serious? Red may not be for you.
Orange: An invigorating, playful color. Go orange to stand out from the crowd. It’s used less often than red, but still packs an energetic punch.
Yellow: Accessible, sunshiney friendliness. Yellow exudes cheer, and your brand will radiate an afordable, youthful energy. Nobody puts yellow in a corner!
Green: The ultimate in versatility, green isn’t linked with many brand personality traits, but it has strong cultural associations. Are you in Finance? Gardening? Consider going green.
Blue: The classic king of colors, blue appears in over half of all logos. As it symbolizes trustworthiness and maturity, true blue will make sure you’re taken seriously.
Purple: Where the rainbow gets luxurious. Paint with purple to appear simultaneously cutting-edge and wise. There’s just a hint of femininity in there too.
Pink: Nothing says “girly” quite like pink. But it’s more versatile than that. From pastel rose to neon magenta, pick pink for a modern, youthful, luxurious look.
Brown: What can brown do for you? Make your brand appear rugged, masculine and serious. Brown is very underutilized, so you’ll stand out from the competition.
Black: Black is the new black. Want to look slick, modern and luxurious? Time to go black. Rather be economical and afordable? Stay away from the dark side.
White: The absence of color. White is youthful and economical, but can work for almost any brand. As a neutral color, consider white as a secondary accent.
Gray: Not quite dark, not quite light. Gray is the middle ground of mature, classic and serious. Go darker to add mystery. Go lighter to be more accessible
Our main logo colors are shades of blue, green and red. Text colors are dark green (HEX 2E484B) for headings and titles with the main body text in black, a lighter green can be used for secondary headings.
The Logo:
The final logo went through many iterations. It needed to be modern, convey a nautical theme, instills confidence and trust. A logo that would transfer easily to print, screen, clothing, safety equipment, stickers and so forth, in both color and monochrome.
The logo was designed in-house, putting together the color and font research. The swirl represents the full range of services that Aluciant offers in the life-cycle of an asset along with the strength of our services evoked by the cyclonic imagery.
We also think it looks pretty cool.
So, what’s in the name?
Research again is key in all things. We do not just step onto a ship and start pulling wires for DP Annual Trials, we assess, study and plan. The same was carried out for the company name. It needed to be something pronounceable, small (the number of letters making it) and memorable.
Small because we did not want a website or email addresses with, for example, joe.smith@wonderfulmaritimeassuranceservices.com ; however, all domain names (URL’s) with four or five letters/numbers have been registered. We set ourselves a limit of eight letters/numbers, without removing vowels or otherwise trying to be cool.
Pronounceable because generally if someone can say it they can spell it and look it up.
Memorable… 
Further Research Material:
- Why fonts matter by Sarah Hyndman (Amazon Link)
- Color Meaning and Psychology – Link to Poster