This was one of the fastest logo designs I've ever made, and much of that credit goes to my inspiration for the design.
Upon considering the challenge, I immediately thought of the mural posted on the brick wall of Goessel Grocery and Deli along Main Street that has served as an unofficial logo (or at least a visual symbol of the town) for decades. This mural was painted by long-time Goessel Elementary, Middle, and High School art teacher Brian Stucky and his students in 1979, then repainted by students several times since, including 2009, while I was in school. Several of my classmates had a hand in the repainting.
I started my process by sketching rough design ideas, all focused around the concept of incorporating Stucky's design. After settling on a couple designs I felt were worth pursuing, my work became more tangible.
During a short visit to town one sunny afternoon in early June, I captured a photo of the mural with my drone. This gave me a symmetrical, high-resolution image to work from. A collection of my photos from that afternoon can be seen here.
The next step in my process was to digitize the logo by tracing the photo and matching its colors.
Finally, I created the wordmark to pair with the visual design. By placing the Goessel logomark on a backing shape, it creates a base for the visual mark. The square bottom edges of the wordmark provide stability and symmetry to the design. The concave curve on the top of the wordmark provides a visual counter to the convex arch in the mural graphic on top.
My last touch was to add an optional tagline, "Small Town, Big Heart" that can be used at the bottom of the logo.
My final delivered product includes numerous versions of the design, appropriate for a variety of contexts.
I hope the full-color logo with the tagline is the primary version used to represent the city. It celebrates the city's history, reflects the ideals of the community, and provides a clear, memorable mark for digital and physical locations in the future.
If a 1-color version is needed, the Black or Blue versions of the logo may be used.
And, finally, the wordmark-only logo may be used on official documentation, locations with limited vertical space, and contexts that require a minimalist approach.
Read more about this logo design contest on my blog.
Interested in hiring my services for logo design and branding or other forms of graphic design, video production, or aerial photography? Let's talk!
In the 2010s, MEDA's Sarasota Network Hub leveraged connections in Havana, Cuba, to lead educational tours in Cuba. I had the opportunity to travel on this tour in 2018 in order to produce this video and promote further tours to Cuba.
How do you show potential customers what the shopping experience is like at your business? Ask a customer to tell them herself! In this testimonial video, Meegan of Meegan Jowdy Interior Design discusses the ways DutchCrafters fit her needs and delivered for her client.
What is Poly Furniture? Learn all about it in this 1-minute animation video I produced for DutchCrafters Amish furniture. This video served as an introduction to poly furniture and an informative video
I was invited to lead an inter-team task force to develop a recommendation to update and improve the Shop the Look section of dutchcrafters.com. We completed the task ahead of schedule and with buy-in from every relevant team.
In June of 2023, Goessel selected my logo design to serve as the new city logo moving forward! After spending my formative childhood years in the community, it means a lot to know I'll have a place in its future as well.
I was invited to lead an inter-team task force to develop a recommendation to update and improve the Shop the Look section of dutchcrafters.com. We completed the task ahead of schedule and with buy-in from every relevant team.
One of the highlights of my employment at JMX Brands was the opportunity to design a logo and full visual identity for the new brand Eco Friendly Digs.
Working with developers and a marketing team, I designed the new DutchCrafters home page and header, with an eye on making it both engaging for visitors and optimized for search engines.
In the 2010s, MEDA's Sarasota Network Hub leveraged connections in Havana, Cuba, to lead educational tours in Cuba. I had the opportunity to travel on this tour in 2018 in order to produce this video and promote further tours to Cuba.
How do you show potential customers what the shopping experience is like at your business? Ask a customer to tell them herself! In this testimonial video, Meegan of Meegan Jowdy Interior Design discusses the ways DutchCrafters fit her needs and delivered for her client.
What is Poly Furniture? Learn all about it in this 1-minute animation video I produced for DutchCrafters Amish furniture. This video served as an introduction to poly furniture and an informative video
My teammate Beth and I wrote the script to the Ultimate Guide to Furniture Styles, an extremely popular educational video on YouTube and on our website, dutchcrafters.com.
I took these photos over the past 5 years or so for clients, family, and personal use. All photos taken on my Sony a6300 mirrorless camera.
I took these photos over the course of 4 years in central Florida and at Niagara Falls. All photos taken on my Sony a6300 mirrorless camera.
