zig (zooplankton as indicators group) logo design
overview
Zooplankton as Indicators Group approached me to create a logo for them to use, mostly for scientific publications and presentations. They wanted a logo that is scientific, professional, and clean.
ZIG (Zooplankton International Geospatial group) brings together over 190 aquatic scientists from around the world to share and study zooplankton data. Since 2021, the group has collected and standardized more than 300 datasets from every continent except Antarctica. Their goal is to better understand global freshwater ecosystems. Supported by international research centers, ZIG is preparing its first scientific publications and has outlined over 20 future research questions to explore.
challenge
Create a logo that is both scientifically accurate of the animal I’m representing (zooplankton), and simple enough for a logo design.
tools
Adobe Illustrator
timeframe
2 months
The process
It took research, sketching, iterating, and a lot of communication with my client to make sure I was creating the logo that represented their organization and brought them delight. I also had to experiment with making the animal scientifically accurate and also simple enough for a logo.
What do zooplankton look like?
These two at the top are the specific type we focused on for a visual (cyclopoids), and below are other types of zooplankton.
Initial sketches of logo design
The client chose these directions
Early iteration in Illustrator
Early iteration in Illustrator
Brand application on a mug
Brand application on a hat
Brand application on a tote bag
solution
We zeroed in on representing a specific type of zooplankton that is common, a cyclopoid. The client loved the boldness of the way the animal looks, and guided me in making sure it looked scientifically accurate. Since ZIG had no allegiances to brand colors, we kept it simple with black and white for the final version. The i in the center of the animal (for ZIG) represents where actual organs are located. We went with a design enclosed in a circle since their logo appears next to two other logos often, and those are circular.