The Portkey Collector - Branding, Illustration & Social Media

  • Harriet J. Murden

I was approached to design the logo and overall branding for a new Harry Potter themed website based in Australia. The key focus for this new website was to provide a link or 'portkey', in Harry Potter terms, to all the different Wizarding World themed shops and sites across the web where you could purchase unique items and find curated goodies. It would act as a hub for transporting visitors as well as a place to find reviews, recipes and how-to’s. The client wanted to create a logo design that was recognisable as being associated with the Wizarding World but still hold some originality to it. It was important to the client that the logo would show the company as being a useful yet fun and engaging resource. Throughout the branding I wanted to use iconic imagery that one would associate with Harry Potter but also within the theme of the site. I settled on the winged key and the deathly hallows as two very iconic imagery. The key imagery was used to symbolise the unlocking and opening of doors, or 'portkeys' to other sites. The key image uses the letter 'k' within the word 'portkey' as it resembles the end of a key. This design can be utilised as a logo mark on its own or within the full lockup. The client was also keen that I customise the 'P' to resemble the Harry Potter 'P' within its very well recognised branding. As part of the branding I came up with a tagline, or mission statement for the brand too ‘Your one stop Harry Potter destination flying you across the web to Wizarding World shops & sites’ and also created illustrative elements to be used on the website and across marketing campaigns. I also provided social media post exemplars and templates. These would aid the client in showing how they can present their business and continue their branding, language and tone across all platforms.