It could be thought a little bit previous to create a design, as I don’t have the money or any other ducks in a row. On the other hand, having a design might help attract the ducks. I wanted to have a play and create, in any case, and I found that it helped me in my thinking about the project.
I wanted a logo for “Working with Gold” that was distinctive and related to St Loyes. I didn’t want generic community-style clipart, or something abstract that was a logo for the sake of having a logo. Thankfully, St Loye is the patron saint of gold smiths, and gold was a good avenue to pursue.
The Royal Society of Chemistry website includes a periodic table of alchemy. Gold is one of seven metals and represents perfection. Here are two of the symbols for gold that I considered adapting.
This is the main symbol for gold. It could represent the boundary of St Loyes, and for example the Middlemoor roundabout. St Loyes is a sort of ‘digestive system’ for Exeter, as a hub for transport, a source of raw materials for building, and a location for utilities and communications companies. So this image lends itself to being extended with concentric rings, indicating the ripple effect from St Loyes to the rest of the city.
This version also reflects the different aspects of St Loyes within the boundary: residential, public/education, office, retail, industrial. There are five gold rings!!!!! I thought I could adapt it with any number of rings as needed, and combine it with other circular images. And it’s a strong symbol in either colour or B&W.
I wanted the display font to be angular and slightly industrial, capturing St Loye at work over an anvil. The main headers and text font need to be simple and clear. As regards a colour scheme, what better than to go for gold?! Coupled with its grey-blue opposite number.
Putting all this together with some cod Latin in place of the actual text still to be written, and some images of St Loyes and yours truly, I produced this mock-up of an A6 card. I think it can work on website and other contexts too, so I’m pretty happy with it.
