Behind the New Logo
By Bethany Congdon, Graphic Designer
Creating a logo is one of the most challenging, in-depth and rewarding projects I come across as a designer. A logotype, is the very first impression a company could give and also a trusted visual anchor. Much like the exterior of a person, a logo refers to the heart and soul of a company from a visual standpoint. In art school, they teach design students that when creating the brand of a company we should think of it as a timeless, simple and original piece of art that the client can hold onto and stand behind forever. I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s a lot of pressure!
The Arts-Based Collaborative can be described the same as the nature of the arts, dynamic. They do not just do one thing day in and day out, but rather this organization is headstrong in the fact that they get to dip their hands in all the different genres of art: visual art, dance, theatre, and music. I wanted to create a brand for Arts-Based Collaborative that would speak to their dynamic nature. The main goal of the new logotype is to share with clients who Arts-Based Collaborative is on the levels of the heart. Not to show not a single dimension, but rather a multifaceted story with several dimensions working together to create a whole.
The logo is created visually from the basis of the artist's hand. The circles are organic and hand drawn, creating the feel of a person’s presence. This presence is used in reference to the relationship that Arts-Based Collaborative has with clients. The number four is a very important number to the structure of the company's practice. Arts-Based Collaborative has four genres of arts education that they specialize in: visual art, dance, theatre, and music; as well as their four strand approach to professional development: artistry, curriculum, instruction, and partnership. So by taking the structure that Arts-Based Collaborative had already established, I was able to create a piece to represent their practice as an educator of the arts from a literal and conceptual standpoint.
Bethany Congdon has a BFA in Graphic Design from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. To learn more about Bethany’s work, please click here. To learn more about the UTC Department of Art and their Graphic Design Program, please click here.