Graphic Design That Works

Soapbox Design

Communications

Job:12-84823 Title:RP-Graphic Design That Works (LDW)

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Process

The first step in creating the Soapbox identity was finding a way to visually convey

the Old World feel of a soapbox. For inspiration, designer Gary Beelik and his col-

leagues turned to packaging design from the 1930s and 1940s, focusing in particular

on soapbox labels. From this research emerged two ideas: creating a logo that was a

label or a sticker, and secondly, incorporating some of the graphic elements common

in early-twentieth-century packaging design, such as ovals, eye-catching color, and

all-capital letters, into the final mark. Next, the team explored different ways to

update the vintage designs they had been looking at. “We are a pretty laid back firm,

so we wanted to create a logo with a bit of a humorous twist,” says Beelik. That

twist turned out to be a speech bubble, a symbol that connotes both speech in gen-

eral and the populist speech of comic books in particular. As a typeface the team

chose Gill Sans, a font that was introduced in the 1930s but whose clean strokes

lend it a modern feel today. For colors, the team again turned to vintage soapbox

labels. “But we wanted to update them slightly,” says Beelik. “We made the oranges

a little bit brighter and the blues a bit more current.” The result is a logo that is play-

ful and modern, but which also carries a sense of history.

What Works

The company’s name alludes to the way wooden crates were once dragged into town

squares and used as improvised platforms for spontaneous speech. Visually, the

logo represents this type of communication: The comic book-style bubble conveys a

sense of informal speech, while the attention-getting colors and all capital letters

suggest the passion and urgency with which the speech is delivered. And just as Old

World soapboxes were easily adaptable to a range of environments, so too is the

logo: it varies in size, shape, and color depending on the application.

Client

Soapbox Design Communications is a Toronto-based

graphic design firm.

DESIGNERS

Gary Beelik, Jim Ryce, Victoria Primicas

FIRM

Soapbox Design Communications

The logo comes in

twelve variations and

features six different

sayings, including

“Choose your platform,”

which is used for

promotionals, and “Try

to remain calm,” which

is applied to invoices.

Graphic Design That Works

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040-069 84823 10/12/05 2:05 PM Page 66

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Job:12-84823 Title:RP-Graphic Design That Works (LDW)

175# Dtp:120/163 Page:67

040-069 84823 10/12/05 2:05 PM Page 67