Logo designs can be some of the most challenging projects — they carry a lot of weight! It’s a thoughtful process that finds me spending a lot more time with my sketchbook than in front of the computer. These are a few logo designs I did recently. Below each design is a bit of context and rationale. Scroll down to see the examples and get the story.
Curitus is a consulting company that helps NGOs become more effective and efficient in their important work. My task was to make a logo for this company that captured the care, innovation, and international perspective of the team. Curitus also wanted a more modern look that reflected a reinvigorated approach to this field of consulting.
Out of a few concepts, this was the winner: a lantern resting on a stand, which carries the positive connotations of hope and progress. The style of the lamp is meant to look like a globe, referencing internationalism and travel; it’s also meant to look more like a lamp you’d see outside of Western culture. The red colour is symbolic of aid, and the lamp stand also makes a C shape which was a subtle nod to company name. This approach was meant to reassure audiences with a recognizable symbol while still looking modern.
AVA Events is a company that handles sound tech, lighting, and music for large events. Their logo was based on the client’s company name “Ava” being formed by a lighting truss, as creative lighting was one of their best strengths. The colours represent AVA’s signature lighting colour scheme. The logo was also designed to create a striking silhouette in solid black; this enabled the logo to be made into a custom spotlight stencil.
The overall design gives a sleek yet industrial look. It demonstrates how AVA provides quality and professionalism, but also how the company is robust enough to work large events and handle all the tech required.
Mad Cat Swing is Edmonton’s premiere swing dance performance team, appearing at festivals and events all over the city. My goal with this logo was to convey fun, celebration, and confidence. Stylized cats are captured mid-leap, inviting you to join the party. Red and orange colours suggest energy and passion; they’re offset by dark navy to create bold contrast that gives a dramatic flair.
People hire Mad Cat Swing mainly because they’re looking to inject fun into their event. I thought it would be most effective to convey the feelings Mad Cat’s clients are hoping to pass along to their event attendees. Secondary to the excitement element, the logo conveys confidence — ultimately, a sense of reassurance that the dance team is credible and reliable, and that clients are in good hands.
From the Mad Cat member perspective, I wanted a look that captured the joy and passion for dance shared among the performers. The logo is meant to represent a team that is dynamic and full of energy. It’s meant to be lighthearted, too: this team takes the dance seriously, but can still enjoy each other and even get a little crazy sometimes!
Solidance is a non-profit organization that offers accessible recreation programming for people of all abilities. Along with supporting the imagery of the company name, the Solidance logo needed to communicate inclusion and diversity. The sun rays were effective for conveying a sense of continual movement, giving the impression of flickering flames. I liked the idea of the logo being asymmetrical and felt that having the sun rays be in different configurations supported the idea of embracing diversity.
A dancing figure inside the sun matches the “flame” look of the sun rays, and paired with the sun fully represents the company name. We focused on keeping the figure really abstract; Solidance members came from a wide spectrum of backgrounds and physical abilities, and my client wanted avoid making a symbol of what a “normal” body looks like.
The sun portion of the logo was designed so that it could function nicely on its own, allowing Solidance to add the graphic to hats, t-shirts, water bottles, etc.