Client: Opening Doors Inc.
Opening Doors provides comprehensive
life-changing and lifesaving services
for refugees, immigrants, and human trafficking survivors and their families in the Sacramento region.
Agency: Honey Agency
Art Director: Ashley Rodseth
Designer: Lynn Lin
Scope of work: Logo Design, Brand Assets, Website, Social Media.
Date: 2018
Design Challenges
1. To avoid a logo of a door-pushing-open icon that could be easily found all over the logo world.
2. More empathy, avoid the patriotic tone that was in the original logo, which was a red statue of liberty.
3. Other things to avoid: keys, key holes, door knobs, etc.
Old logo:
Design research:
Inspiration:
I was reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery during the time of Opening Doors branding project. The chapter about western tradition door and Japanese sliding door became an important inspiration to me.
“Pushing open a door causes a break in the space...destroying the unity of space. Sliding doors enhance space in an elegant way. Without affecting the balance of a space, sliding doors allow two spaces to communicate without offending each other.”
“Without affecting the balance of a space, sliding doors allow two spaces to communicate without offending each other.”
The Logo:
1. An abstract representation of a sliding door, symbolizing that Opening Doors introduces and welcomes refugees and immigrants into the country providing the smoothest transition they could offer.
2. The logo also depicts one culture merging into another one. Part of them overlap, part of them remain themselves, evoking balance and co-existence.
Brand Pattern Inspiration:
Brand patterns were created by pulling
the unique shapes and letterforms from different languages. In a subtle manner, these patterns speak to the inclusivity and diversity of the organization and
its audience.
