A thoughtful identity that ultimately revealed the challenges of
balancing detail with usability.

Engage Management sought a logo that blended historic charm with a modern aesthetic for their St. Charles, Missouri apartment complex. While the final design achieved a good balance, it included intricate details that impacted usability. Despite my recommendations to simplify, the client chose the more detailed version. This complexity sometimes reduced the logo’s versatility at smaller sizes. The first image shows a redesigned, simplified logo that would have preserved the client’s vision with improved usability.

The client’s primary mark was designed as a circular emblem to resemble a vintage seal or crest—an idea I felt worked well conceptually, but one that functions better as a secondary or accent logo. Due to the circular composition and detailed elements, the text inside becomes harder to read at smaller sizes. Additionally, including both the floral illustration and building outline in the main logo reduced its flexibility. For applications like staff T-shirts, signage, or small digital placements, the fine details risk disappearing, making the logo less recognizable. Regardless, I enjoyed working with this client and would love to work with them again.