Developing a brand for a Toronto Aqua Hobbyist

3 min readMay 13, 2020

About our Client

Aldrin Taroy is a digital marketer by day and an Aquascaper by night. We have known each other for years and I was excited to help create designs for his passion project. The term Aquascaping was a foreign term to me but after doing some research it was revealed that there is a large community of Aquascaping enthusiasts around the world.

Aquascaping is the art of arranging natural materials including; rocks, driftwood, stones and of course live aquatic plants. Essentially Aquascaping is landscaping underwater environments into beautiful creations either with, or without aquarium fish, and other aquatic pets.

In the world of Aquascaping, there are a number of design styles influenced by culture, region and environment. My friend Aldrin’s style reflects the subgroup “Japanese Nature”.

My intention was to create a classic look, like a cover from an old book, to represent the Aquascape Toronto brand. My friends at Good Lookin Kids Inc. did a great job bringing this idea to life. I love the quote, ‘Learn from nature, create nature’. This is taken from one of Takashi Amano’s books.
Aldrin Taroy — Aquascaper

Inspiration

Working with Aldrin’s inspiration I helped develop a brand identity inspired by traditional principals and elements of design.

The shapes are all representative of the art of aquascaping. The wavy lines suggest that aquarium design goes beyond the glass. There are no limits to the flow of the creative process. Aldrin’s inspiration of Japanese street fashion and culture also played a big role in developing the brand.

We wanted to ensure that the logo on its own was strong enough to portray a message, but when additional design elements are introduced the brand takes on a new personality.

When Aldrin presented the concept the first thing I thought of was Osaka’s Den Den town — a utopia of postmodern Japanese graphic design. With bright neon signs and simple illustrations, the extension of the brand into a t-shirt line for marketing and promotions became clear.

There is a page out of “The Art of Nature Aquarium” by Takashi Amano where there is a miniature version of him on top of an aquarium. I wanted the t-shirt to convey the joy Mr. Amano shows against bright colours.
Aldrin Taroy — Aquascaper