umass law
Mark Design
the ask
Develop a mark for UMass School of Law merchandise. The mark will attract current UMass Law students and represent the school visually.
the solution
Designed a mark inspired by seal stamps with a simplified/conservative approach, capturing the school's feel and status with simple composition.
the role
Ideator and designer. Designed all drafts and received critiques, turning feedback from Creative Director into successful execution.
seals / architecture
While straying away from traditional execution of similar marks in the form of seals/stamps (below), the logo assumed their format to achieve an official/trustworthy appearance.
The architecture was a requested component. The iconic entrance to the building (above right) was selected, as it is a familiar sight for law students.
text / pursue justice
To maintain consistency with official UMass Law logo (below), Garamond was used and arranged in a balanced, legible circular shape evoking the sigils.
The law school's trademark, Pursue Justice™, is included per request and placed above entrance for simpler legibility, balanced to not overcrowd the mark with spatially condensed text.
drafts
First drafts of the mark (below) experiment with simplification, abstract, and representational depiction styles.
#1–8, 13–16: simplified marks represent the pursuit of justice, often depicted as a scale, a familiar symbol in the field of law.
#17–24: abstract designs put a spin on the balance by experimenting with multiple qualities: sharp vs round, solid, vs outline, etc.
#9–12, 25–28: The abstract designs also took inspiration from the theme of balance and justice, showing various marks showing acts of balancing interactions between the different shapes.
final
Draft #28 was selected by Creative Director to move forward and was pushed further (below).
#1–4: focus on linear text inclusion.
#5–12: play with circular frame formed by words.
#13–24: are framed by a laurel-like pattern adding status and motion.
