Mona Khalil | Behind The Logo
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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 to put 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 it was possible to create a logo in a week. 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 with similar watercolors as my book cover. Using calligraphy to write my name in Arabic.
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 of how beautiful it is. 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 with not so much color. No words or names — like the Nike swoosh or the Apple apple.”
He ended with, “I might have just come up with it on accident… but I want it to look good in two colors or three colors tops — not watercolors.”
We went back and forth for a couple of hours.
3. Behind the logo by Eric Carey —
When presented with a request to make a logo for Mona Khalil, I went back to our time working together at Tesla. I was drawn to her as a person who loves the many facets of being human. What makes people unique culturally, through their upbringing, and by way of their 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 is a representation of hard work. Hair is up for the woman wanting to not be distracted by her beautiful hair. Yet, tied and secured with precision to look amazing. The headband is derived from a gem cut and represents tapestry. Curly hair is used because it is common 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 are in alignment from her mind to her 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
