pictorial mark
In Part One of this project, I was challenged to visually communicate the identity of a specific geographical location by designing a custom wordmark that incorporated the city name, a carefully chosen typeface, and relevant geographical or cultural elements. Each student was assigned a destination selected by a peer with personal experience of the location. I was given Honolulu, located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
For the wordmark, I selected a modern sans serif typeface that offered a clean, neutral foundation—ideal for integrating more expressive visual components. A key graphical element features a figure holding a surfboard, serving as a tribute to the father of modern surfing, who was born in Honolulu. The wave incorporated into the leg of the letter “L” symbolizes both the island’s geographical setting and its deep cultural connection to water sports. This element also introduces dynamic movement into the design. The use of a tropical blue color reinforces the aquatic theme and enhances the overall visual impact.
In Part Two, the objective was to extend the wordmark into an informational one-page layout, incorporating sample text, imagery, and a clearly defined visual hierarchy. Building on the established themes of water and surfing, I utilized imagery of surfers and maintained the blue color palette to create continuity.
To enhance readability and viewer engagement, I broke up longer text sections with relevant quotes and maintained a consistent typographic system by using the same typeface from the wordmark for all section headers. This approach ensured visual cohesion between both phases of the project and resulted in a polished, unified final composition.
