Somewhere geographically between Zip Tone and Highlights, lays the Isle of Dots. These oversized fields of dots are reminiscent of placing a bit of gnarly halftone screen into a mark because they actually represent an element of the icon and not just a foundation in the background. I picture Jay Fletcher selecting the dots on his bowl of poke because it looks like a liberal dose of sesame seeds sprinkled atop the dish. Note that the dots serve as an approximation of a woven basket or the blush of a peach, but the pattern is not used as just an opportunity to lay in tone.
Utilizing a bolder pattern scaled up to read as pattern and not as a halftone has turned into an effective way to break up the tension of flat tonal areas in a mark and create interest that visually remind us the mark has been well seasoned. As a way to achieve respite from a logo crafted from gradients and digital dissonance, this allows a designer to limit the color in a palette and still draw the consumer in with a simple and playful vector repetition.
HOLLIS BRAND CULTURE, FETCH
