Ayok'a — African spirit for the digital era

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Brand Identity for Print-on-demand site AYOK'A

/2016-2018/

Ayok’a is a platform for emerging and established black artists to share their work with the world,

is a space for sharing the story behind each piece of artwork while presenting it in a stylish, fun and original format. The basic identity (logo, icon, color palette, typography and patterns) I have developed from 2016. Then I've watched the brand strengthen, made stationery and merchandise design and prepared the basic templates in conformity with branding daily needs. But the brand still changes and reinforces and the work goes on.

Objectives

Ayok’a meaning ‘welcome’ in the language of native tribe in Ivory Coast. The brand style should reflect the African heritage but for the digital era. All elements should be made in accordance with:

Important Brand Values

African culture. We love it and we live it (the founder Alice Gbelia is a native from the Ivory Coast).

Modern. We want to avoid the clichés associated to Africa.

Digital. We sell art for the digital age.

Creativity. Art is one of many ways to express the creativity.

Quality. We handpick the artists we showcase and we print of the highest quality.

Democracy. Art is for everyone and exists anywhere, not just in museums.

Fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and we want to bring joy in people’s homes.

For Target audience

“Afropolitans”, meaning middle-class people of African heritage living in big cities such as Paris, London, Berlin, New-York. Aged between 25 and 44 years old, educated, well-travelled and cultured.

Visual Language

A type-based logo inspired by writing systems from Ghana's Adinkra symbols, Guinean alphabets of early twentieth century and simple geometric decorations painted on the walls of houses by South African women was developed as a start point. As all Ayok'a stuff should be printed using very modern techniques any "handmade" approach was not required, so I decided to combine Africa inspired symbols with simple geometric grotesque. Literally I wanted to connect welcome gentleness and up-to-date sharpness in one form in the way that the word looks the same as it sounds — rounded with surprise ringing splash. Uncompromising letters without optical compensation draws inspiration from both the primitivism of tribal art and the precise geometric drawings of a new technological era.

The same feeling I tried to reflect through the set of brand patterns which also could be easily turned into a recognizable elements as lines and frames. Similar approach was used in developing of color palette where bright digital blue shades (electric blue and almost cyan) blend with noble yellow, gold and velvet dark colors. For brand typography I also tried to combine incompatible — dynamic and vertical narrow Khand font with rounded minimalist Sans Serif Muli seems capable to be a friends only in the presence of Ayok'a brand elements near.