I connected with this client through the Columbia College Chicago Families Facebook group looking for help with their logo. DOMES stands for Dancers Opposing Mental and Emotional Stigmas, and as a previous dancer and current advocate for mental health, I was more than eager to help. My client already had an existing logo but wished to see it designed in a calligraphic line art style. Below is the image they provided for me of their logo and desires for the new one:
Using Adobe Illustrator, I used a calligraphic brush to redesign the shoes in the newly requested style. As the font for "DOMES" was to be kept the same, I decided to make the font for "Dancers Opposing Mental and Emotional Stigmas" lighter to match the thinner style of the shoes. I provided the client with a black-and-white version of their logo, as the original was, and also created a colorized version. I was inspired by the calligraphy to use a watercolor brush when giving this design color. Below is the final black-and-white and colorized logo:
After redesigning per my client's requests, I then took their offer to explore different styles. I began brainstorming symbols similar to their message or mission statement, and decided on a lotus flower. Lotus flowers symbolize strength and resilience, making this quite fitting for empowering dancers opposing stigmas. By analyzing the petals of a lotus flower, I noticed they were similarly rectangular in shape like each of the dance shoes. After playing with the orientation of each shoe, I was able to fit them appropriately into the petals as seen in the black-and-white and colorized logo designs below:
