City Shamba Logo Design
Programs Used
- Adobe Illustrator
About Project
Catch-a-fire is an organization which focuses on helping non-profit’s connect with volunteers to provide various services. A volunteer simply creates a profile, lists their skills, and make connections. I began working with this organization last year to not only help build my portfolio, but to help nonprofit receive top quality design work. A company I had the pleasure of working with is SOMO. Based in Africa, across three different cities, they focus on investing in the training, funding, and mentoring of entrepreneurs. Through SOMO, I met my client who was in need of a logo for their start up business.
My role in this project was graphic designer. I was asked to create a logo in support of a new business in Afri-ca called “Fork 2 Farm.” The idea of this company was to use fresh foods grown directly from farms to supply homes/families in Africa. The goal was to make the logo display “Fork 2 Farm,” in a visually engaging/eye-catching way.
Partners and Stakeholders
The partners in this project were Catch-a-fire and SOMO. I had the pleasure of speaking with two members from SOMO. Since they are based in Africa, it was exciting to work with cross country clients. During our scheduled Zoom meeting, I made sure to ask necessary questions to capture a clear picture of their vision. After the call, I maintained email communication throughout the duration of the project.
The partners in this project were Catch-a-fire and SOMO. I had the pleasure of speaking with two members from SOMO. Since they are based in Africa, it was exciting to work with cross country clients. During our scheduled Zoom meeting, I made sure to ask necessary questions to capture a clear picture of their vision. After the call, I maintained email communication throughout the duration of the project.
Problem
A new business needed visual brand and identity assistance. They had their name as “Fork 2 Farm,” but first needed a logo design/colors to begin their marketing.
Audience
The audience consisted of communities in Africa and anyone seeking knowledge on obtaining, maintaining, and keeping farm fresh foods.
Design Process/Research
I browsed the internet for ideas of businesses maintaining fresh foods as well as a clearer picture of what “Fork 2 Farm” means. I designed the logo using Adobe Illustrator. I tried to focus on “Fork 2 Farm” and incorporating a fork in a creative way. I was able to produce 4 mockup designs to send for feedback.
After sending mockups, I was told that “Fork 2 Farm” had been trademarked and they were unable to use the name. The new name given was “City Shamba” which is Swahili for “Urban Gardens” Since the name was completely different, I had to take a step back and rethink my design process. I still wanted to incorporate the “Fork 2 Farm” ideals while implementing the new name.
Outcomes and Results
I first browsed through the previous years’ webpage. It had the look and feel as a newsletter and ideas were to make it more engaging. The idea was that a student can visit the webpage, see the flyer, and say, “I want to attend STEM Camp!” The information about the camp should also be short, sweet, and straight to the point. I used Adobe Illustrator, html, and CSS to complete this project. Blackboard/Schoolwires is the hosting site used. Fonts were changed to Montserrat to adhere to district branding as well as the colors.
A highlight of this webpage rebuild was the Google Maps embed. Previously, the camp location icons were traditional “location” icons that blended in with the map. I replaced those icons with the STEM Camp logo, changed the map view to remove the listing of so many locations, and gave the map the “light political” contrast. This made it easier to identify the camps sites.
Reflection, lessons, next steps
I thoroughly enjoyed working with SOMO on this project. This was my first overseas project, and knowing that I helped launch a non-profit was
truly rewarding. The team sent me flyers designed using their new logo and I loved how everything flowed together!