Logo Challenge: Cycling near Southern China’s River

16 Sep Logo Challenge: Cycling near Southern China’s River

Excerpt: mymodernmet.com | Jessica Stewart

Photo: Sam Beasley | Unsplash

Cormorant fishing is an ancient tradition with deep roots in China, Japan, and Korea. The technique is typically practiced in rivers, with fisherman training their birds to catch fish in their throat and bring them back to the boat. The method was first described in a 636 CE text about the history of the Sui dynasty in China and, at one time, was a lucrative industry.

by Jessica Stewart, mymodernmet.com, 2019

The Narrative

The above photo captures cormorant fisherman on the Li River as they pack their nets for the evening. The region also sports limestone karst hills and stunning rock formations.

Nearby, twin pagodas in Guilin, Guangxi, China tower along the coastline. Today, each pagoda stands engulfed in silver and gold light, symbolizing the sun and moon, but their construction spans as far back as the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907CE).

This link will take you to a few location in the area — https://goo.gl/maps/nBM6JL66hTYfnqVdA.

The Challenge

Develop a brand for a local bicycle shop that embraces the history of this part of China, while creating merchandise assets.

Imagery

The Result

Five of the top bicycle manufacturers in China incorporate wordmarks to represent their brand. This makes sense because any business would want their brand to appear on the bike frames themselves.

Below is a wordmark that ties traditional bicycle features with the sun and moon — the namesakes of the twin pagodas in Guilin, Guangxi, China.

The wordmark below demonstrates strong legibility and contains elements that connect to local influences and cycling. Portions if the wordmark can also be deconstructed into other brand tools.