The goals of Two Strikes Theatre Collective are big, lofty, idealistic, and in the same movement, person and community centric. An up and comer in Baltimore, TSTC seeks to unite people and create a community around the arts, use the arts as a gateway for social change and activism, and provide a platform for women of color–among other goals, which can be read on their website.
“We were born with Two Strikes against us: Being a woman and being a person of color. We are the match to light a revolution.”
With this logo, I wanted to be bold. It’s what the Executive Director, Aladrian Wetzel wanted as well. We discussed color, line, and symbols–all the necessary makings for a logo. I wanted to evoke the slogan of Two Strikes as faithfully as I could, and what we decided on was the above design.
Broken down the elements I wanted to include were: Two Strikes, a woman of color, and light. Combining the elements was easy, it’s almost self explanatory. The two match strikes unite to create something bigger than each could have made on their own. Two Strikes is for women of color, so it was important to include elements that recognized that, hence the silhouette of the flame.
Color was another matter. Black was for sure. Reds, oranges, were in, but how remained a question. In keeping with the design consistency, I originally designed the logo with all solid colors. It was good, but it needed…something.
Eventually we decided on the gradient that radiates from the twin matches, with a black flame. The contrast between solid and flowing colors balanced the logo. The flame, and the logo itself becomes alive.
Lines are striking (pun unintended) and distinct. Colors are bold and lively. This logo exudes power.
To go fit with the picture element of the logo, the font had to match. The font I used is Oswald, which I felt had the bold lines to carry, but enough humanity to not go overboard with starkness.
I also created some business cards. Both individual, and for the Board of Directors. The backside is the same for both.
Monika Borkovic 