Project

Crossing Over Logo

Client

Crossing Over

Year

2022

PROJECT Summary

Crossing Over is a blog platform that focuses on career development for individuals in the life science field with doctorates who are leaving academia and pursuing different career paths.

There is often a stigma associated with leaving academia, so the logo and branding needed to evoke ambition, reassurance, and confidence, while tying in the themes of changing career paths with the field of life sciences.

Research

After initial discussions with the client, we established that the brand is life science-focused and that imagery should be related to wayfinding. Through mind-mapping, I explored ideas for graphic elements and potential names for the platform, as a brand name had not yet been decided. The main writer for the blog is a geneticist, and I wanted to incorporate that specific aspect into the logo, and the term crossing over felt like the perfect fit.

In genetics, crossing over refers to the transfer of genetic material between chromosomes during sexual reproduction. The visuals of this biological process along with the name were so fitting for the themes of being at a crossroads and switching paths in life.

Design Process

After establishing the name of the brand, I sketched out various styles of the crossing over process. The simple addition of arrowheads on two of the chromatids really accentuated the idea of changing paths and moving forward.

I experimented with multiple colour options after the logo was designed. The colours selected are bright, friendly, and inviting — and are reminiscent of colours typically seen in fluorescent microscopy of cells. Violet was chosen for its association with ambition and mystery (i.e. moving into the unknown), green for growth and reassurance, and navy for confidence and stability.

Final Deliverable

The final logo and accompanying designs are vibrant, engaging and intriguing, and successfully integrate the ideas of wayfinding, paths, and discovery with life science imagery.