The Long Short Road
The original logo was designed through Canva, resulting in an impersonal feel.
The goal of the logo redesign is to tell the story of the long short road; winding and challenging to cross, but worth it in the end. The logo should feel warm and friendly to reflect the hope at the end of the road rather than the possibly rough and temporarily unpleasant feel of the road itself.
The Organization
The Long Short Road is a mental health non-profit organization, specializing in suicide prevention education and mental health awareness workshops. They are also involved with stigma reduction work, developing mental health support groups in religious Jewish Communities, and are building a therapy subsidy program for individuals who can’t afford therapy.
Behind The Name
The name, The Long Short Road, comes from a parable in Chassidic philosophy that tells about a short long road and a long short road. A short long road is a road that appears easier and less complicated, but ends up being more difficult in the long run. The long short road is a road that appears challenging and treacherous, but ends up easier and more fulfilling. This is reflected in mental health recovery and healing because taking shortcuts (or the easy road) doesn't really work in the long run. Taking the time to work through problems seems scary at the beginning, but allows you to truly achieve your goals.
Sketches and Initial Designs
The original design had a distinct desert theme. For the redesign, I wanted to shift the focus from a specific location to imagery of the seemingly challenging journey itself.
The client provided a specific color palette, so I used the given colors and kept changes to a minimum to stay true to their original choices.
Design 1
For this option, I included mountains for the road to wind through, symbolizing a seemingly long and complex journey. The sun peeking out from behind the mountains as well as the the addition of yellow to the color palette represents the fulfilling goal at the end of that journey.
I chose this typeface because it evokes the feeling of a storybook title, reflecting the idea of a new chapter beginning. Its rounded letterforms help maintain the calm, hopeful, and friendly tone described in the brief.
Design 2
Both mental health challenges and healing begin in the mind, and I wanted to represent that internal journey in a simple, minimalistic way. To do this, I created an icon featuring a face in profile with a road running through it. The forehead, nose, and chin also form mountains, reinforcing the idea of a difficult path.
This option builds on the type and imagery from Design 1, using the same font in a slightly bolder weight to better balance with the icon.
Design 3
I wanted to incorporate Jewish imagery in this design, as the organization is led by and primarily serves members of the Jewish community. Trees hold deep significance in Judaism and also carry broader symbolic meanings. This icon includes the familiar winding road, but places a tree at the end to represent growth, stability, and new beginnings. In Jewish tradition, the tree symbolizes the human soul and the spiritual journey of ascent. This concept parallels the mental health journey, which often involves reflection and soul searching.
Both the illustration style and font were chosen to evoke a sense of calm and hope.
Feedback and Final Designs
The team provided several points of feedback on the design options. Only one team member was able to see the face in Design 2, so the group overall preferred Design 1. They suggested removing the lines behind the mountain to create a simpler, sleeker look.
In terms of imagery, they favored Designs 1 and 2, as the path in Design 3 appeared too easy and didn’t convey the intended level of challenge.
Additionally, they recommended making the green slightly darker for better visual impact.
