The Art of Identity | Unveiling My Personal Logo
I met Eric Carey while working at Tesla. He was a Senior CAD (Computer-aided Design) Designer, and I was a Senior Project Manager. Working on my logo was our first time working together. Eric had the vision to create my logo.
One of my favorite parts about the process is that it was Eric’s first time writing in Arabic. Beautifully written and designed.
I will share:
- Why a logo?
- My initial idea
- Behind the logo by Eric Carey
- Why a logo?
My book, I Write Letters in my Thoughts was published on May 19, 2017.
I showcased my book at the Wonder Women Tech conference on August 18–20, 2017. Their team reached out on July 24, 2017, asking me to provide them with my logo on their exhibitors page. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a logo. When I asked about the timeline, they said ASAP.
I reached out to a couple of friends to see if creating a logo in a week was possible. I checked to see if the timeline worked for them and if the cost worked for me.
2. My initial idea
My initial idea was to create a logo using watercolors similar to those on my book cover. I would write my name in Arabic using calligraphy.
My first name, Mona, means WISH in Arabic . منى (read from right to left).
My last name, Khalil, means FRIEND in Arabic. خليل (read from right to left).
I liked the idea of Arabic writing because it is beautiful. My name is also written at the top of all the pages in my book, a theme I would want to keep.
As soon as I got home, I created a mood board.
Eric responded to my email immediately. “I think you need something that encapsulates you in a single image. It needs to be clean and not very colorful. No words or names — like the Nike swoosh or the Apple apple.”
He said, “I might have just come up with it on accident… but I want it to look good in two or three colors tops — not watercolors.”
We went back and forth for a couple of hours.
3. Behind the logo by Eric Carey —
When asked to create a logo for Mona Khalil, I thought back to our time working together at Tesla. I was drawn to her as a person who loves the many facets of being human, which makes people unique culturally through their upbringing and heart. This logo was an attempt to embody all those things.
Every aspect of the logo has meaning. Beautifully created to represent women of color. From the colors and shapes to the placement.
Her hair up represents hard work. Hair is up for the woman who does not want to be distracted by her beautiful hair, yet it is tied and secured with precision to look amazing. The headband is derived from a gem cut and represents a tapestry. Curly hair is used because it is shared across cultures. The fullness of the face represents that women come in all shapes and sizes. The red heart in her hair and heart-shaped red lips align with her mind and words.
She represents compassion and intellect in tandem. Mona Khalil is written in Arabic (read from right to left) across her jawline. The lips, nose, and jaw represent cultural features.
This is all women in the image of one.
🇪🇬🥭🇬🇾 Name dipped in mango | | منى خليل | #iwritelettersinmythoughts | www.monakhalil.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook @iammonakhalil
