The problem: Capturing everything about an organization in one simple image.

I suspect there are very few graphic designers who don’t love designing logos. I certainly do, but I’m also a realist. Logos are, in essence, a single image that tries to encapsulate all a person or organization’s hopes and dreams and views of themselves. This can be an impossible task, but when it works it’s very exciting. Here are some of the logos I’ve done over the years:

Suburban state legislator campaign. Branding designed to heighten sense of local pride. Law firm. Logo has had to adapt to three different partner configurations. Candidate was personable and enthusiastic. Strong but feminine. Purple as a counter to the red/blue political dichotomy. Cozy and classy, for a high-end pre-school. A type treatment for a program of Tamizdat, whose logo is at the center. A 2017 SXSW showcase highlighting artists affected by Trump's travel ban. An initiative I started. Logo designed to counter conventional stars-and-stripes political consulting imagery.The color is the identity. I customized the font, fixing Officina's clumsy i's. A series by an experimental theater group to culture and cross-pollinate new artistic ideas."After-college" workshop series for sophomores. Ranked voting awareness campaign.Designed to complement the Jeune Lune logo, this program encouraged new, experimental artists under the Jeune Lune organizational umbrella. Designed to move away from literal (book) imagery to the coziness implied by reading and browsing.A company importing Brazilian sandals Series by the public policy school at the New School University. Type matches the university brand. For photographers gallery in Chelsea, NYC. I can't remember why we made it black and white. My record store. Established right after the fall of the Soviet Union, I shamelessly stole its aesthetic sensibility. Another Red Pets logo. Established right after the fall of the Soviet Union, I shamelessly stole its aesthetic sensibility. Trade bookstore collaboration between Carleton and St. Olaf colleges. Bookstore feature. Store "mascot" was called "the Browser". The St. Olaf College Bookstore. A response to the Victorian cartoon used by its rival school's bookstore. Massage studio. Client wanted to use a Matisse illustration, so I used it as the "y". The image is stolen from the TVA. The client approved. Conceptually it fit the campaign's theme. Early campaign branding effort. I may have been trying too hard. A logo for an online job board at the College of St. Catherine, mimicking their logo, with a bullseye modern restyle.