The Seacoast Maritime Education Alliance is a collaboration of nonprofit organizations in the Seacoast area of New Hampshire, dedicated to honoring our coastal area and teaching others about its value.
They needed a brand identity to unite their organizations. I was an intern for Seacoast Science Center at the time, one of the members of SMEA, and my boss and mentor approached me about designing a logo for the group. I couldn’t wait to start working on it!
I started creating this logo by researching each of the organization’s members. I took notes on their visual identities and created a mood board based on my findings. This allowed me to sketch and develop concepts.
They identified most with the third concept but thought the branding should reflect Go Portsmouth’s, as the organization’s landing page would be a part of that website. So, I merged the two.
At the following meeting, it was pointed out that the Gundalow is considered “quintessential Portsmouth.” With a few tweaks, I adjusted the sailboat to look like a Gundalow. The result was a logo that combined colors commonly found in the industry, branding that matched the umbrella the organization fell under, and imagery that united each of its members.
BeatsFest is a (fictional) music streaming service that caters to a young, diverse, tech-savvy audience.
To reach the audience, I created a logo with their visual preferences in mind. The logo mark combines a representation of music (a microphone) with a cool guy in a party hat, making the logo a member of the fun, diverse group of people it is meant to appeal to. The bright pink represents the vibrancy Gen Z prefers, the sans serif font appeals to their modern sensibilities, and the fun, unique logomark reflects themselves.
Kelly, the owner of a local massage therapy business, came to me with a clear idea of what she wanted.
She was picturing a raven in a tree as part of her logo. With this in mind, I created a vine-like image, reminiscent of Ravenhollow’s holistic and natural business practices. The raven faces the business name, which is in a personable font with some personality. The leaf imagery and earth tones represent the calming, natural environment Kelly creates, and the black of the raven and business name reflects stability. These color choices invite people looking for a relaxing experience.
M. M. Ciolino Portfolio 