The Forest Park Diversity Commission has unveiled a new logo, designed locally by Yearbook Studios.
“Any final design that represents somebody, we hope that it evokes some sort of feeling in someone,” said Jef Anderson, co-owner of Yearbook. “Not just aesthetic — we want it to have more heft to them, and have a thoughtful appeal, and messaging behind what makes it unique.”
Anderson said the Diversity Commission came to Yearbook in August, seeking a new identity as they ramp up their footprint in the community. Yearbook employees conducted several studies, looking at gay pride flags that included a rainbow of colors, as well as those that included black and brown, as ways to acknowledge the African-American and Latinx communities. They decided to alter the Simpel typeface, so the I’s looked like people, the letters rounded, colors overlapped, and the font all lowercase. Anderson said the biggest challenge was making sure the typeface complemented the village logo.
“When you look at it, you’ll see overlapping colors that show a culture of transparency; it has a very friendly attitude, with all lower case letters being informal,” he said. “I think the biggest thing that we intended for people was to feel a strong sense of all-inclusiveness.”
This is not Yearbook’s first project in town: The local studio has designed the new Forest Park District 91 schools logo, insignia for the Roos Recreation Center, branding for the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce, and more. As a thank-you to the town, and to commemorate its seven-year anniversary, the design studio is holding a party from 7 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 8 at Yearbook, 408 Thomas. Attendance is free to all, and there will be food and live music. The design studio has also re-launched its website, yearbookstudios.com.
“Gratitude is our attitude over here, so we’re happy to be here and grateful for all the work we get,” he said.
Nona Tepper
