So you want to know about the logo change…
If you’re a long-time Seven In the Ocean reader, you may have noticed change a’foot. If you’re a newbie – welcome! You probably don’t notice anything different because your baseline is, well, this.
But, changes are indeed a’foot! (am I using a’foot correctly? I feel like maybe I’m not.) The biggest among them is that my logo has once again, gotten a facelift. Only this time, I actually hired a professional to help me.
You’ll be seeing the new logo pop up in various places and because it’s a pretty neat evolution with a story behind it, I thought it worthy of sharing in a blog post.
Call it a retrospective on the various iterations of Seven In the Ocean. Enjoy the journey!
How It Started…
My very first logo – and a lesson in letting the professionals take the lead. A graphic designer put this one together and I used it for years, only changing the tagline to “Delving into the Sea of Plastic Pollution” when I was no longer writing a capstone. I should have learned my lesson here: graphic designers are the best people to design things like logos. Because – and I know this is super earth-shattering – but they’re kind of experts in this stuff. Whodathunkit?
At the time (2010 – …2017?!) this logo (above) entirely defined my blog. It was all about plastics and the ocean, symbolized by the background image (taken atop Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii) and the chasing-arrows symbol encapsulating the number seven (for more on that symbolism, read this). It was actually quite difficult to imagine Seven In the Ocean without chasing-arrows or ocean references.
How It…Went?
This is why I’m not a graphic designer. I love visual art, and I appreciate it, but I don’t know how to make it – and sometimes, nuance evades me. I tend to think literally: Seven. In. The. Ocean. There must be 7s! There must be ocean! There must be scripty text!
And, I’m only human. When it came time to redesign my logo, I immediately forgot that lesson about letting the experts take the lead. “Logo-shmogo!” I thought. “I can do this myself!” The result was, well, pretty much what you’d expect. A non-graphic designer with no visual-artistic ability, trying to make something out of a free, trial version of Canva. Ta-da…
Yes, I know – it’s…basic. I will admit to putting this on a proposal, once. This logo was, thankfully, short-lived. When it finally came time to actually getting my poop in a scoop, though, I took a deep breath, jumped off the cliff and…
Hired A Professional (otherwise known as: How It’s Going)
This is what happens when you finally grow up and decide that you don’t, in fact, have to do everything. *News flash* there are people out there who specialize in making things, like logos. Imagine that! 🤦🏼♀️
One thing I have loved about moving to a new country is discovering new groups of people, making new professional connections, and establishing new friend networks. All good things take time though, and only very recently did I cross paths with Casi (in this case, four years).
Casi and I have become fast friends: we hike, along with her hilarious little pooch Nacho; we longboard occasionally while eating ice cream; and we bond over shared interests and bemoan shared life woes.
It turns out, Casi is also a talented designer, specializing in hand-lettering and typography. I asked her if she’d be up for helping me revamp Seven In the Ocean and she emphatically agreed! The result is what you see, above.
The process of working with Casi to redesign Seven In the Ocean’s logo can best be described as the sum of the following equation:
FUN + INSIGHTFUL + FASCINATING
She worked through a number of questions that I myself would never have thought to consider. We met on numerous occasions; sometimes on the phone – thanks, COVID – but sometimes in-person. Sometimes, it was hard for us to stay focused – so many other things to talk about!! But eventually, we got there, and after a few months…she debuted something I’m really quite pleased with.
Casi has been able to take my previous logos and put something together that encapsulates the origin story of Seven In the Ocean (ocean colours, arrows, subtle nod to the “seven”) but with a fresh twist and new approach. Above is the square version, which I also love and which you’ll start to see pop up here and there on the social medias. Her hand-lettering style and unique type-faces plus attention to the tiniest of details has made me want to sit and stare at these logos all damn day!
Here’s to a new look!
There you have it: a fresh face for Seven In the Ocean. It was about damn time and I hope you enjoy the new look(s). I tinker with this website every few years and enjoy the process, but I will admit: handing off the creative to someone else was liberating! This logo helps me stay inspired and motivated to keep sharing stories that matter. 🙂
Thank you, Casi!! If you’re interested in checking out more of Casi’s work, find her at Casi Bowes: Original Custom Lettering / @casibowes.letters (on IG).