ScootRoute started as a solution to a bad experience, a familiar one to any scooter user. What's the best and safest way to get somewhere?

It's not an easy problem to solve, as other apps don't take into account road quality or hills, or let you customize top speed. Meanwhile, non-automobile choices offer bike paths, which can't be used by scooters (but bike lanes can; in some places—how confusing!) Our client wanted to create a mobile application that was designed specifically for scooter users that would locate the best and safest route, allow them to customize it for their scoot, and deliver the route while scooting. Cloud Construct helped make the idea a reality. (See our Case Study for more).

That's all that we had – this idea of safety while scooting. Where to start?  Brand.

We started the process of creating a new brand for a new business with a brainstorming session that focused on users. The founder believed ScootRoute users would be fun-loving, happy people who care about the environment and responsible living—all-round cool scooter users. The ScootRoute user is someone who is always looking for new possibilities to cope with traffic and parking issues in large metro areas, as well as someone who doesn’t want to deal with the limitations of public transportation. They want to take control of their day without transport dependence.

Creating the brand started with locating and analyzing the specific challenges ScootRoute looks to combat—the everyday transportation struggles of the user. With the ideas and input of our client, the team analyzed the following challenges:

1. Roads are primarily designed for cars. Scooters, in general, are not as fast as cars. Helping find safe routes for scooters is valuable.
2. Scooters, in general, don’t feel safe on highways. Some alternative customizable routes are valuable.
3. Hard to use car-friendly navigation tools. Scooters don’t have big touch screens, and some don’t have phone holders.  Providing a quick and clear next step is instrumental.
4. They have to pre-plan their trips trying to take some back roads rather than major highways. A planning tool is welcomed.
5. They need to know topography of their route, for example, if any hills are involved. Customized routes for scooters is key.
6. If they are not sure where to go next, they need a very clean and simple map app UI to figure it out. They may just have seconds while stopping at a red light to figure out where to go next.

Considering these challenges, as well as the qualities of ScootRoute users, our client saw her brand’s Core Values as safety, reliability, customizability, responsibility, speed, forward thought, fun, and helpfulness. The team identified the brand tone of voice as youthful, playful, economical, modern, witty, and happy.

Finding the voice of the brand allowed the creative team to move into a new brand communication strategy. This strategy focused on ScootRoute being reliable and responsible, providing smart and helpful maps, customized for scooter riders.

With these values and strategies in mind, our client was looking for a modern branding concept, that would stand out from other map applications which are typically more traditional and automobile focused. With this strategy in mind, the goal was to design a logo that worked beautifully in nearly every application possible, from small phone screens to a whole range of print applications including helmets, accessories, billboards, and more.

Our creative team took all of these qualities and began wrapping them into a new logo design. Addressing brand values, user characteristics, and the challenges they face, all go into this.  

Starting with sketching different logo concepts, there were two major components in the logo composition: a map and a scooter, as well as the letters “S” and “R.” The road with its twists and turns is at the core of the logo concept. It gives a feeling of adventure, while also showing a clear, well-defined path. The exploration began by trying to find all common elements in the “S” and “R,” linking them together and creating a road from them.

The goal was to make the logo easy to read from a quick glance.

Colors came in as we started exploring a youthful and energizing palette.

Adding some directional elements visually enhanced the map and route connection.

With that came a clear road intersection, a stylized roundabout showing blank space between the road-looking letters.

The logo started to grow in a direction that creates a clear visual connection with the road/map image and allows for playfulness and flexibility; however, the scooter part was still missing.

The team started thinking about several different scooter types—from standing electric scooters to large mopeds—and how most people usually see them from the side as the scooter passes. Being designed with the user in mind, the ScootRoute logo captures a scooter from the rider’s perspective.

The common element that unifies all types of scooters comes from the dashboard on the scooter, the odometer and handles. This brought about an image that fits great in the negative space between the “S” and “R.”

With that, the ScootRoute logo was on the road, bringing together the various scooter types, fun-loving users and countless roads that ScootRoute will help them conquer.

Having several color variations of the logo, as well as a look at the new logo in real-life applications, made sure it met all the criteria of the founder.

Adding some auxiliary colors helped to create a unique and memorable brand color palette to build a lasting brand identity and attracts new ScootRoute users.

Stay tuned for the ScootRoute mobile app case study to see how the new brand is translated for the mobile app!