FIRE Projects
BRAND IDENTITY
FIRE (an acronym for Flagstaff International Relief Effort) is a non-profit organization based in Flagstaff, Arizona, with a mission "to improve health, education and well-being through value centered, community-based programs encompassing cultural diversity and heritage". FIRE works primarily with communities in Mongolia, focusing on sustainable, long-term public health programs, including comprehensive liver and cancer screenings, vaccination initiatives, public health education, and medical supplies distribution.
I was tasked with creating a new logo in place of the one that was used for the past 20 years, as the organization has grown substantially and has expanded its range of activities. The new logo was to include a mark with reference to a traditional Mongolian ornamental design motif - an eternal knot; the wordmark was to feel contemporary, sophisticated and clean, but with elements that add softness and interest. The logo would be used in a wide variety of applications - from leaflets to give out in rural Mongolia, to presentations in large conferences. The broader brand identity should include a color palette to reflect Mongolian culture and clean contemporary typography.
LOGO
I was asked to use an eternal knot design in some form as an inspiration for the design of the logo mark. There are many variations of the knot, and in order to make the mark more distinctive, I aimed to combine it with other meaningful concepts - the letters of the word "fire", which creates the unique interlacing of the strokes, and a heart, signifying care, health, connection. For the logotype, I was required to use the capital letters, since FIRE is an acronym. I created simple san serif letterforms, with some rounded shapes to connect to the heart mark, and add a humanist feel. The Alverata font below continues that calligraphic feel.
TYPOGRAPHY
Adelle Sans was chosen as the font family for the FIRE brand. Adelle is a clean, highly legible san serif, can be used both in print and web, in small and large sizes. The family has a variety of weights and italics, so it is very flexible. Adelle Sans also has some humanist. calligraphic qualities, which works well with the overall feel of the brand, combining the clean, sophisticated characteristics with softness and personality.
COLOR
The color palette reflects the rich colors found in the Mongolian culture - in clothing, dwellings, and nature. The decorative motifs are often bright yellow, pink, orange hues on a darker-colored backgrounds of deep greens, purples, blues, reds. The deep brown is often present in the surrounding landscape.
DESIGN ELEMENTS
The elongated rectangular shape with rounded ends, which is a derivative of the logo mark, can serve as the building block for the various design elements in the brand's visual language. Combined at different angles, it can create shapes reminiscent of the various eternal knot designs; it can serve as a frame for images, or create color shapes for various compositions.
