TNT estd. 1990
Local time:
/River Management Society
/2025/
Client
River Management Society
Timeline
4 weeks
Date
Logo, Ever Green Design
A new RMS mark that holds up in a tiny profile picture and actually means something.
The work
The old logo died in a social avatar.
The old logo died in a social avatar.
The problem
The problem
Risa Shimoda, Executive Director at River Management Society, needed a mark that still read in a tiny social profile picture. The existing logo did not. On a phone it collapsed into a smear, which is where most people would actually see RMS.
Risa Shimoda, Executive Director at River Management Society, needed a mark that still read in a tiny social profile picture. The existing logo did not. On a phone it collapsed into a smear, which is where most people would actually see RMS.
Risa Shimoda, Executive Director at River Management Society, needed a mark that still read in a tiny social profile picture. The existing logo did not. On a phone it collapsed into a smear, which is where most people would actually see RMS.
Why it mattered
Why it mattered
A river organization should not have a logo that only works on stationery. The community lives on phones and in feeds. The mark has to hold up there first, and it should carry a story members can repeat.
A river organization should not have a logo that only works on stationery. The community lives on phones and in feeds. The mark has to hold up there first, and it should carry a story members can repeat.
A river organization should not have a logo that only works on stationery. The community lives on phones and in feeds. The mark has to hold up there first, and it should carry a story members can repeat.
What I did
What I did
I started with discovery instead of drawing first. On a call with RMS board leads I learned how a river makes an oxbow lake: a bend gets sealed off by debris during a flood. No river, no oxbow. That became the idea. Without the members, there is no society.
I started with discovery instead of drawing first. On a call with RMS board leads I learned how a river makes an oxbow lake: a bend gets sealed off by debris during a flood. No river, no oxbow. That became the idea. Without the members, there is no society.
I started with discovery instead of drawing first. On a call with RMS board leads I learned how a river makes an oxbow lake: a bend gets sealed off by debris during a flood. No river, no oxbow. That became the idea. Without the members, there is no society.
What we stopped
What we stopped
We stopped trying to jam the old lockup into a circle and hope people could still read it. Forcing a letterhead mark into an avatar was the problem, not a lack of marketing.
We stopped trying to jam the old lockup into a circle and hope people could still read it. Forcing a letterhead mark into an avatar was the problem, not a lack of marketing.
We stopped trying to jam the old lockup into a circle and hope people could still read it. Forcing a letterhead mark into an avatar was the problem, not a lack of marketing.
What shipped
What shipped
The new mark is a humanoid shape built from that oxbow. It brings community, water, and the lake form into one drawing. The board went for it. Ever Green Design replaced the old RMS logo in spring 2020.
The new mark is a humanoid shape built from that oxbow. It brings community, water, and the lake form into one drawing. The board went for it. Ever Green Design replaced the old RMS logo in spring 2020.
The new mark is a humanoid shape built from that oxbow. It brings community, water, and the lake form into one drawing. The board went for it. Ever Green Design replaced the old RMS logo in spring 2020.
What changed
The profile picture is usable.
The profile picture is usable.
The shape carries community, not just initials. Board and staff got a mark they could stand behind.
Branding
Design
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