How we got here: The SFA Logo

As 2010 and SFA design identity project winds down, the SFA Branding Committee has decided to dedicate a blog post to the new SFA logo.

The process and timeline were laid out in May and June and the project kicked off in early July.  During the summer we received feedback from you about who and what SFA is.  At the time, I described this as “Telling the Story of SFA”.  We held a series of meetings in several different chapter areas.  At these meetings we asked questions and listened to your answers.  We wanted to know why you joined SFA and what keeps you as a member: what is your history with SFA?  We also asked you makes SFA different than other farming non-profit organizations.  We talked about what the guiding values of SFA are and who are SFA’s primary audiences.  And, we went over what are the strengths, threats, opportunities and weaknesses that SFA faces.

Out of these meetings it became clear that SFA is an organization that:

Connects
Farmers to Farmers
Farmers to Eaters
Farmers to Youth

SFA’s Guiding Values are:
Fellowship
Community
Learning/sharing
Trust
Diversity (all types – membership + farming methods + farms + biodiversity)
Openness (to all people and ideas)
Continuous improvement
Holism (interacting wholes that are more than the sum of their parts)
Health (of Land/Environment & People)

Our Audiences are:

Primary
Farmers (members & non-members)
Eaters/Community
Emerging/Beginning Farmers
Youth/Students (Schools k12 + College)

Secondary
Funders/Granting Organizations
Other non-profits/Peer Organizations
Press
Policy Makers

I will continue to shape what we learned (SFA’s story) into clear and concise messaging.

The SFA Rebranding group then moved on to the design process; how to take the values and stories and create an aesthetic and image that could help to express who and what SFA is.

The logo doesn’t need to tell the entire story of what SFA is, but it needs to draw people in and start a conversation.  While all of the visual elements that make up a logo do say something about SFA as an organization this story isn’t complete.  This is where clear messaging comes in: clear concise statements about what SFA does, how we do it, with whom and why.  Overtime our logo will take on all of the reasons and meanings of why SFA is a great organization.  Every type of farm and farmer doesn’t actually need to be in the logo to represent who and what SFA is as an organization.  Instead the logo captures the core elements of who and what the organization is.
Originally SFA’s graphic designer, Sole, came up with three distinct logo concepts.  Of these, one was very strong (Concept 3).  However, while some people liked the energy of that logo, others felt it did not connote a farming organization.  Because of this Sole continued working and came up with Concept 4, which is what the final logo is based on.

While Concept 4 is clean and simple, it also has many distinct elements.

The Elements of Concept 4:  The SFA Logo

Colors – Green, Blue, and Brown
Blue – this blue is youthful and modern.  Blue evokes sky, clean, bright, formal and waterGreen – this green is fresh and spring-like.
Greens evoke fresh, organic, growth, plants, health, and environmentBrown – this is our neutral, but brown is also a good color for type.
Brown is timeless, but it also evokes the earth, soil and organic
These colors all work together harmoniously.  However, the logo also works in black and white and grayscale.

Font – Futura is the font of choice.  It is a sans serif font.  San serif fonts are viewed as modern. This font while eye catching is also neutral.  It can be put with other fonts and not compete with them.  This is important because the logo and font can be easily paired with the different fonts that SFA uses for our various events throughout the year.  Futura in lowercase is often used because it is more approachable; it is welcoming and not intimidating.

Circular – We chose to create a circular logo because it implies connection and cycles.  The circle is resting on two leaves.  This helps the logo feel like it is blooming.  It evokes a sense of possibility and hope.  Because the circle is blue it also feels like the sky and the horizon.

The Green Leaf implies a green field or pasture that is full of growth and life.
The Brown Leaf with lines implies a tilled field that is ready for seeds and planting.These leaves also represent the diversity of SFA’s farmer members. SFA’s livestock producers embrace perennial grazing systems that are green and lush throughout the growing season. SFA’s CSA farmers, market gardeners, and grain producers till their fields each spring. This green leaf can also represent some of these farmers as well who make use of cover crops and green manure.

Arrows – Arrows are one of the original and iconic design solutions.  They show direction and movement.  As used in the SFA logo, the arrow shows cycles weather it be life cycles or nutrient cycling.

Text Treatment – The “text treatment” just means how we use words with the logo. “SFA” can be used in the logo to further connect the image with “Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.”  “Sustainable Farming Association” can also be aligned to the right of the logo.  This can be paired with “of Minnesota” for the classic, statewide feel or with a chapter name.  Chapter names can also be curved around the bottom of the logo.  The logo feels more grounded and open with the text at the bottom as opposed to the top.

SFA’s logo and design identity evokes these descriptors:
Connection
Dynamic
Modern
Youth
Clean
Positive
Moving Upward
Growth
Holism
Original
Playful

SFA’s graphic designer will use the logo for a variety of applications such as letterhead, business cards, the CornerPost, an SFA e-newsletter and a redesigned SFA website.

-Anne

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