SWANA Business Logo

Work for hire for Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) by Lara Lee while employed at CSG Creative with permission for Lara Lee to display for self-promotion.

Background

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) desired to re-brand with a greater emphasis on “waste to resource.” The original business logo, however, presented some symbolic and practical problems.

The new business logo design must capture movement. It should evoke the sense of evolution and energy transfer to highlight the theme of “waste to resource.”

Furthermore, the client stressed that the new logo must be uniquely designed and avoid the generic appearance of clip art. The client previously pursued a business logo re-design with another agency. However, they came to CSG Creative for more sophisticated execution and originality.

My Role

Logo Designer

Creative Direction

Megan Hall

Agency

CSG Creative

Color

Courtney Lopes

Awards

Graphic Design USA

By The Numbers

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Members
0
Years in Business
0
Concepts Presented
My original sketches for the SWANA corporate logo re-design.
More of my original sketches for the SWANA corporate logo re-design.

Waste Not: Designing a Business Logo for Waste Management

SWANA’s brand requires a visual identity that clearly identifies who they are. However, depicting literal trash may not be the best impression from a business logo.

First, I researched their website, events, and competitors to find key points in the industry. Then, I learned that waste commonly converts into gas/heat and energy/electricity.

Therefore in my logo design strategy for SWANA’s new brand, I explored the concepts of “waste to resource” by illustrating changing forms. My concepts illustrate this transformation with several concepts:

  • Arrows for movement
  • Negative space for waste elimination
  • Golden ratios for natural harmony and balance
  • Gradient colors for change
  • Icons of the trade
Collection of business logo concepts drawn up in Illustrator.
Integrating golden proportions in the S of the new SWANA logo.

For more Golden Proportions in my logo designs, check out my Case Study on the Open Heart Parrot Rescue Logo & Identity Concepts.

Final B&W Business Logo

Final, B&W SWANA logo.
Symbols and concepts behind my SWANA business logo design.

SWANA’s Final Color Business Logo

Megan Hall, VP, Creative, CSG Creative, took over the SWANA logo to add the finishing colors.

SWANA logo design after.
“SWANA signed off on their new association brand. It is super sophisticated and utilizes white space to emphasis the overarching goal of the organization…zero waste. Great work Lara! The client is so happy!!!!!!”
The letter M.
Megan Hall
VP, Creative