Kris Kringle, or Santa Claus is a symbol of glee and warm emotion around the holidays. How fun would it be to take on the hypothetical branding of Mr. Kringle starting with the symbolism of him as society knows him. Was it the suit, the reindeer, the North Pole, the glasses? After explorations, his fluffy white beard is the most iconic aspect of what he represents and the one that offered the most opportunity, so the next step was to interpret what the beard of Kris Kringle would communicate through a brand identity.
The beard is fluffy and has white locks. To figuratively recreate these locks, I played with different looks and came to a very delicate design reminiscent of cascading ornaments or snowflakes. All of these beautiful ornate circles come together to form his beard. The mustache reinforces the idea of the beard and creates a balance and symmetry to contrast the asymmetry and ostensible randomness of the beard.
The colors were derived from Kris Kringle’s red velvet suit, the implication of purity and peace that comes with white as well as the connotation of snow at Christmas (maybe not if you live in L.A.), and the gold comes with its ornate nature and rich implication.
Ultimately, the beard logo of Kris Kringle represents him and the whimsical world in which he comes from. Last thing he needed was a slogan, so as we all do growing up…
Expect the beard…