A while ago I was contracted to design a logo for a financial firm called Black Diamond Financial. The firm was looking to expand to more investors and wanted a more cohesive, professional look than the startup-style clipart logo it had been using.

Because the firm was still in an early stage, they were looking for a black-and-white logo to allow them flexibility and save on printing costs.

The name Black Diamond was inspired by the grading on advanced ski trails, but because the firm is involved in finance, it was cautious about any association with risk.

The firm was also looking to speak to high-level investors with substantial capital who are interested in preserving and enhancing wealth. Brand-wise, this put them in the same niche as classic luxury brands such as Cartier, Chanel and Jaguar.

My initial submission included three looks:

A faceted black diamond with a classic serif font.

A combination of overlapped black diamonds with a bolder serif font.

A mountain silhouette with a more modern, sans serif type treatment.

The client wanted to pursue the overlapped diamonds, which was a great way to take the firm’s existing logo and move it forward into the market space where the firm belongs.

We tried looks with a variety of type treatments — modern and classic — and transparencies and grays. In the end, a classic serif font and the cleanest-style overlap were the right way to go.

The final lockup is simple but sophisticated, making it flexible and something that can endure for a long time. I was very excited to see it implemented in the firm’s relaunched site and love the look-and-feel the firm pursued with the site — clean, bold, beautiful and understated.