New logo for Beyond Blue
Beyond Blue (est. 2000) is an Australian independent non-profit organisation working to address issues associated with depression, suicide, anxiety disorders and other related mental disorders. Through its support services, programs, research, advocacy and communication activities, Beyond Blue is breaking down the stigma, prejudice and discrimination that act as barriers to people reaching out for support.
The key graphic in both the old and new logos is the butterfly. This creature is said to symbolise growth and transformation, as well as life and hope. As a symbol for an organisation that supports people during tough times and enables them to achieve their best possible mental health, I think it’s quite appropriate.
In the old logo, the butterfly was illustrated with angled wings to suggest it was in flight, and the context of the shadow supported this. It gave that logo a sense of energy. In the redesign, the butterfly lays flat and while it appears static, the fact that it’s rotated slightly is enough to suggest that there’s a hint of life in there. (And if you haven’t already noticed, the wings cleverly incorporate the profiles of two faces in the negative spaces.)
What the new logo does improve on is the relationship between the butterfly and the wordmark. The old logo was dominated by the butterfly but in the new logo, the wordmark matches its visual weight. I’m glad the subline is gone, too – it was too small and neither descriptive nor emotive.
Speaking of the wordmark, it is now set in Brandon Text, a typeface with a warm appearance thanks to its humanist nuances and rounded strokes. It expresses the friendly and approachable nature of the organisation, especially when paired with the playful colour palette. The fortuitous placements of the ascenders and descenders of the stacked words also create a nice nestling effect between the two lines.
Overall, this is a nice update and a good example of a logo that is stripped down to only its essential elements and given a contemporary spruce-up.