Case study — 11

Triple Eight Auto

Brand identity

A brand for a performance auto shop, from the triple-eight logo to bumper stickers, tees, the shop's vinyl signage and video.

Year: 2020
Role: Art director, designer, illustrator, photographer
Tools: Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, After Effects, Lightroom
Services: Branding, 3D & motion

The brief

Triple Eight Auto is a performance shop that works on cars and installs performance parts. They came to me for a logo and identity built on three eights, in grey and orange, plus stickers and tees. I also helped produce the vinyl for the shop, and when it opened I had parts put on my own car and turned it into a video for them.

Process

I looked at what other auto and performance shops were using, then did my own take.

What I made

A logomark of three eights set as gears inside a triangle, in grey and orange
A wordmark family: "Triple Eight Auto," a stacked version, a script "Triple Eight" version, and "Triple 888" lockups
A color palette of orange, grey and black
Bumper stickers, including Japanese katakana versions, "Speed Stars" lines and a "Spicy AF" chili pepper sticker
A run of black tees with chest and back prints
Vinyl for the front desk, the door and the sign on the building
A shop poster pulling it all together

Design decisions

01
Three eights could easily look like a slot machine.
Turning them into gears in a triangle made the mark about machines and parts, and the triangle gives it a solid, technical feel that works as a small icon on a door or a big one on a wall.
02
Grey and orange came from the client.
I used the grey for the structure and the orange as the hit color, so everything stays readable and the orange always pulls the eye.
03
The stickers are where the brand loosens up.
Performance car culture loves JDM touches, so the katakana and "Speed Stars" lines speak straight to the people who'll put them on their cars.

How it's used

Everywhere at the shop. In the photos you can see the vinyl on the front desk and door, the sign on the building, and the crew in branded tees working on a car. More on this in auto shop branding and car and detailing logo ideas, or see my brand identity work.