ABASI - Branding

Aegean Bronze Age Study Initiative (ABASI)
Non-Profit Organization

Branding

Adobe Illustrator | Adobe InDesign | Adobe After Effects | Procreate

Overview

The Aegean Bronze Age Study Initiative strives to develop a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the Prehistoric and Bronze Age cultures of the Aegean (particularly the peoples of Crete and Thera) and those with whom they interacted in the prehistoric world, both directly and indirectly. The initiative’s mission is to support student research, analysis, and publication of material finds and broader theories of the prehistoric and Bronze Age Aegean, focusing specifically on the Aegean Island cultures and associated groups. This support shall include, but not be limited to travel for study, excavation and materials analysis, conferences and lectures, publishing costs, and broader studies of cultural interaction, identity, exchange, iconography, and ideology.

I am currently the Lead Graphic Designer for ABASI and was tasked with creating two logos, one for professional use and another including a mascot character, business cards, website mockups, and an animated logo.

Sketches

My sketches began by ideating the mascot character. The organization wanted to use a blue monkey as its mascot to match the frescos of blue monkeys created during the Bronze Age. They also requested that a spiral be used in the tail. I started to create a variety of mockups, wanting the logo to be easy to read and memorable. The approved design was a profile view of the monkey reaching out to a jewel.

In Progress

Once the sketch was approved, I created the design in Adobe Illustrator. I kept the monkey a light blue and used monochromatic tones to show depth. The organization approved but asked for the jewel the monkey was reaching to be changed to a crocus flower, to further push the Aegean focus. I created three different versions of the crocus flower, looking at ancient paintings they provided for reference, and started adding font choices to the mockups. The client chose the purple crocus flower and provided feedback on the font, and asked for the mascot to stand on the organization’s abbreviation rather than a branch. The changes were made and the final logo mockup was created.

The client then asked for a professional logo without the mascot to be used when in contact with possible donors and suggested the idea of stickers with a QR code. We took inspiration from the ancient iconography of papyrus and experimented with a variety of colors. After receiving their feedback, they asked me to explore a spiral motif from an ancient painting and take inspiration from that.

I started creating a variety of spirals and received feedback from the client. After multiple revisions, we settled on a final design and I worked on designing a business card for the non-profit.