A while ago, we bought a book about the logo design and learned the thought process behind the creation of some famous logos. In Logo Design Love, David Airey explains how to develop a brand identity, using client case studies from various projects he worked on. He also shares his thoughts on what the design process should look like, using the work of many well-known designers.

So, when it was time to design a logo for Kenart, we followed the process and insight from the book. We wanted to reflect two things with our logo: Africa and artwork. Finding the correct color and font wasn’t easy. We did several iterations before falling in love with the last one. It is very difficult to come out with something you hope will be simple, beautiful and memorable. David Airey suggests that the simplest logo is often the most effective. In fact, simplicity helps a design be more versatile. Simplicity also makes your design easier to recognize. And simplicity aids memorability.  

In retrospect, the logo could have been inspired by Yinka Shonibare’s Wind Sculptures. Nearly six meters high, each sculpture captures the movement of a billowing bolt of fabrics. Their apparent fluidity contradicts their construction in fibreglass. Their design is inspired by the sails of ships whose patterns replicate African batik. Shonibare chooses these iconic fabrics to exemplify how signs of national or ethnic identity are culturally constructed.

With deep respect to his work, we would like to think without sounding pretentious, that we probably shared the same muse.