SNAP Visual Identity System
Project Brief
The Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists (SNAP) is looking to rebrand. They are in need of a new visual system. This system should address their current system's issues yet still pay tribute to the non-profit organization's history.
Context & Approach
What is SNAP?
Snap is a non-profit by artists for artists. A studio with a gallery space & print shop is welcome to everyone, whether you are new to print or an experienced print artist.
What is Printmaking?
Printmaking is a medium that encourages collaboration, often through studio spaces. Prints use nostalgic mediums to create innovative new works.
Focused on these key concepts of printmaking and the non-profit’s ideals.
Key Words:
Collaborative
Nostalgic
Innovative
Outcomes
A logotype that showcases the ideals of SNAP and Printmaking. A Complex system that will allow for a variety of applications: from legal documents to playful marketing campaigns.
Deliverables: a visual identity application standards guide (PDF booklet). This will show the identity system used across a variety of components and applications.
Conversations with Ashna
I got to speak with Ashna Jacob, the Communications Coordinator of SNAP. She explained the non-profit mission. She also brought up her concerns with the current identity system and her wishes for a newly proposed one.
Pains
The current icon did not reduce well. It loses most of its legibility
The colours can be tricky to use. They do not match most promotional materials and are tricky to reproduce.
Wishes
Having a wordmark works well. Works in puns for promotions.
A friendly and casual tone
Still needs to work on legal documents. It is still a non-profit.
Would be nice if it was both innovative and nostalgic like printmaking is.
Current Logo Variations (Inverted)
Current Legal (Colour) & Inverted (Colour)
Videos to Better Understand Print-Artists
Chris Pig. (2021). I am not a printmaker. YouTube. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1h-GrE_n-M.
HepworthWakefield. (2021). Barbara Hepworth and the Art of Printmaking - including an interview with printmaker Stanley Jones. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2023, from https://youtu.be/7ewn3dVQ-xM.
Survey Questions
I am not a print artist myself. Therefore, I needed to speak with print artists directly to better understand the practice and why they participate.
I created a set of questions and surveyed eight print artists.
Interesting Responses to Survey Questions
Q: While exploring printmaking and/or the community: did anything surprise you about it? (the unexpected)
A: How physically intense it was, and also how exploratory. in terms of screen-printing - it essentially takes inspiration from everything in a unique way. For example, you can experiment with a mix of photography and organic or self-created marks. It’s a collage of shapes, stencils, textures, etc. One of my favourite things about it is layering. You can take the same image on your screen and print it in a hundred different ways.
Q: If you could describe printmaking in 5 words, what would those words be?
A: tactile, experimental, collaborative, fun, varied
Initial Visual Exploration
I wanted to explore the process of printing in the wordmark. The way paper folds around the printing rolls—the print peeling off the linoleum—how typography is used with the letterpress, and the playing with inverted negatives.
I began exploring the idea of punctuation. The style of punctuation with the letterpress is very interesting. SNAP often used its name conversationally for marketing within sentences. For example, saying, “oh snap.” Therefore, I thought the inclusion of punctuation for the icon could work well.
