Branding

Beyond the Canvas

Founded in 2010 by Tomas Vasquez, the local artist started by hosting several events on his own to generate interest in body canvas painting in the San Antonio, Texas area. The organization has tripled in size and now has approximately 100 members to include artists,models, and photographers. Beyond The Canvas annually hosts a body painting competition catered to the greater South Texas area. They are currently in the processes of obtaining a Non Profit status to provide workshops and classes to the younger generation on the art of body canvas as well as many other art classes.

Simplify the Process

Project Overview

Beyond the Canvas is an expansive collective of premier artists specializing in the high-concept world of body painting. Based out of San Antonio, Texas, the group has evolved from a local talent pool into a nationally recognized brand within the competitive arts community. As their influence grew and the scale of their productions expanded, the original branding began to lag behind the sophisticated, professional "voice" the group had cultivated.

The redesign of the Beyond the Canvas identity was a delicate balancing act. The project faced the unique challenge of honoring the established legacy and traditions set by the founding organizers while simultaneously modernizing the visual language. The goal was to move toward a more iconic and recognizable mark that effectively signaled their status as industry leaders.

Central to this transformation was the need to visually anchor the brand in its medium: the human element. Unlike traditional canvas art, this craft is defined by the organic curves, movement, and presence of the human form. The new identity was designed to bridge that gap—merging professional scalability with a tactile, living aesthetic that showcases the essential partnership between the artist and the body.

The Process

Analysis

The current logo for Beyond The Canvas is primarily an acronym for the business title. The type face is rough and rugged to accentuate the use of paint or a brushstroke. This coincides with the product of the business and is appropriate for the brand. However, the texture is too chaotic and is an otherwise primitive cave painting. The “T” towers over the “B” and the “C” making it a focal point for the design though it is a mere conjunction in the company name. It makes a clear separation of the “B” and “C” only to add to the ideal of a cave man painting during the era B.C. The full name is spelled out below the acronym design in a narrow font with uneven kerning causing the words to run together and making it difficult to read briefly. Because of the texture of the large letters, it could cause problems to recreate the branding on other mediums.

Objectives and Solutions

To generate a better defined logo, the typeface must be reconsidered as it is too rugged. A solid brushstroke font with less breaking up of the brush to canvas effect would be more efficient to better define the letters and giving it a more professional look to the font. By separating the acronym letters more and placing the “T” even with the X Height would bring more focus on the larger representative letter’s“B” and “C”. Possibly overlapping the kerning would keep the sense of a hand painted logo and still project the product the company has to offer.Eliminating the full spelling across the bottom of the logo allows for focus on the acronym, forcing more focus on the branding. If the title is to be spelled out, it should be considered as an alternate logo without the acronym. The two tone color pallet works well and can be altered for hue, but no additional hue should be included.

Consumer Perceptions

Because the branding for Beyond The Canvas is still relatively new, the current logo is beginning to take hold to the company. It has been seen by many other companies at expositions and competitions in the greater central Texas area and surrounding states. However,because the company is currently expanding their product service beyond body canvas art to include education, now is an excellent time to rebrand the logo design to incorporate the new, more professional approach to their artwork. The response from customers has been overwhelmingly popular according to their social media and the current logo is being recognized outside of their competitions.

The Work