A logo I’m happy to put my name to

I have been particular about getting this right. The shape, the spacing, the balance between the emblem and the website address: they all matter. A logo might occupy a small corner of a screen, but if something is slightly off, I will keep noticing it every time I look.

The new design has four sweeping rotor-like curves around a pair of sharp inward-facing shapes. Orange on the left, white on the right. There is a clear connection to a drone, with enough movement in the lines to suit the photographs, journeys and films that sit behind the name.

Underneath is the simple lowercase address: nixdrones.com. The white lettering and orange ending are part of the design. I wanted that separation, and I want it kept consistent.

Giving the emblem room to breathe makes a difference, too. It can stand on its own, with the address underneath doing a useful job: telling anyone who likes what they see exactly where to find the rest.

Orange has rather made itself at home

Anyone who knows me, or has followed Vanilla’s various upgrades, will know that orange is already fairly well represented in my life. It works with the grey of the van, the dark backgrounds I like on the website and the equipment I seem to collect with suspicious enthusiasm.

The NIX palette centres on that strong orange, with white and deep graphite around it. Against black, the logo has the contrast I was hoping for. The curved parts feel fluid; the pointed centre gives it a bit of bite.

I like being able to recognise it quickly. Whether it is on a large screen or a little badge, the colour split gives your eye something clear to remember. The surrounding space matters just as much: let the mark do its job, then get on with showing the photographs and telling the story.

Sky, road, trail — and whatever catches my interest

Drones will always belong at the heart of NIX DRONES. I love the way a different viewpoint can change a familiar landscape: a road becomes a line through the countryside, a coastline reveals its shape, and somewhere you thought you knew suddenly looks completely different.

Alongside that sit my photographs, travelling in Vanilla, getting out on Torque, music, technology and all the little discoveries that turn into stories. Sometimes that means a journey through Europe. Sometimes it means a few days in the Peak District. Occasionally it means becoming far too interested in what a battery charger is doing.

That mixture is personal. I’m John Nickolls — NIX — and these are the things I spend my time doing, thinking about and wanting to share. The site gives them a home together.

I want the new identity to feel comfortable across all of it. A drone film, a campervan story, a ride, a recipe or a piece of enthusiastic tinkering should still feel as though it comes from the same person. There is plenty of room for variety when the voice and the look are recognisable.

Seeing the design out in the world

The mockups have been a useful way of imagining how the rebrand could work beyond a website header. They put it on objects with different shapes, textures and purposes. A design has to earn its place on something you might actually wear or carry.

The merchandise and lifestyle images in this article are concept visuals. They show ideas I’m exploring, rather than a range already on sale or photographs of finished items I’ve received.

The black mug is an easy one to like. It has a good-sized emblem, a clear website address and enough space around both. I can see the appeal of having one beside the laptop while I work through photographs. Whether it improves the quality of the writing probably depends on what goes in it.

The large-print T-shirt takes the same approach. It lets the whole design occupy the front, with the orange and white doing the work against the black fabric. It is the bolder version: straightforward, visible and very much in the colours I would choose.

A badge on the chest, another on the back

I also wanted to see a more understated T-shirt: a small badge on the left breast, with another high on the back near the right shoulder. That positioning gives it the outdoor clothing feel I had in mind, and it is the version I can most easily imagine wearing day to day.

A little mark on a dark shirt can say quite a lot. It leaves the rest of the garment simple, while the orange catches your eye. From the front you get the small chest detail; from behind, there is another quiet reminder of the name.

Seeing both treatments together has helped me think about scale. The full-front design has its place, and the smaller badge gives me another option. Any finished print or embroidery would still need to do justice to those fine points, curves and lettering.

Stickers, cards and a little bit of old-school pride

There is still something satisfying about a well-made card. You can talk to somebody about a photograph, a trip or a drone, hand them something small, and give them a way to find the stories later. I like that simple connection between a conversation in person and a website.

The card concept carries the dark finish, orange edges and clear name across both sides. It makes the identity feel considered all the way through. The contact layout and QR treatment here are design ideas; the details and a working code would be checked before anything went to print.

Stickers offer a different sort of fun. The circular, rectangular and shaped versions let me see how the mark sits in different spaces. A camera case, a laptop or a bit of travel kit could all be possibilities. I can already imagine becoming quite unreasonable about getting one perfectly straight.

What appeals to me is the continuity. Each item carries a familiar piece of NIX, whether someone first finds it online or notices it while I’m out and about.

The bit that feels especially close to home

The tote-bag images bring the idea back to ordinary use. It is a simple black bag with the emblem and address printed clearly across it. Something for a few supplies, the bits that accumulate during a trip, or whatever I have convinced myself is essential that morning.

Then there is the campervan scene: a bag on the table, a travel mug beside it, grey bodywork and an orange accent in the background. It is a concept image, but the setting helps explain why these colours feel right to me.

Vanilla is a big part of the NIX story. She gives me the freedom to get out, find somewhere interesting, take photographs and have a change of scene. A visual identity that feels at home around the van has a much better chance of feeling like mine.

Bringing the whole thing together

The website is where I want this identity to come together properly. My direction is clear: the approved logo across the opening screen, the main header, mobile menus, individual sections and the images people see when a link is shared.

I want an arrival with a bit of movement and atmosphere, something that feels like NIX as soon as the page opens. The orange-and-white design gives that opening a clear centre. It should look good on the MacBook and feel equally considered on a phone.

Speed matters to me as well. I want the story photographs to appear promptly, the pages to be easy to move around, and the writing to be comfortable to read. An attractive opening earns its place when the rest of the experience feels just as good.

Those are the aims guiding the website work. The logo is chosen; carrying it through consistently, and making the site feel quicker and more polished, are the practical parts of the next chapter.

The photographs will still be the things I want people to stop and look at. The films should make you want to watch. The stories should sound like me. A clear identity gives all of that a familiar setting.

A mark to take along for the ride

I’m pleased with where this has landed. The new logo feels at home among the things I enjoy, and the mockups have given me plenty to think about as I decide what to make real.

There are more photographs to take, more places to find, more miles to enjoy in Vanilla and, almost certainly, another piece of technology to become unnecessarily interested in.

I want this little orange-and-white mark to go with me. On the screen, beside the stories and perhaps, before too long, on the mug next to the laptop.

Thanks for following along. I’m looking forward to seeing where the next chapter takes us.

John / NIX