Interview about Arcadia Logo Design, winner of the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award 2025
The Sayyida Ahad Al Busaidiyah Foundation's logo is inspired by Her Majesty's cherished Arcadia white flower. It features five petals, each symbolizing a key pillar: women, special needs, the environment, antibullying, and support for the disadvantaged. With a minimalist design, the logo represents growth, hope, and empowerment, aligning with themes of dreaming, learning, and unity. Both versatile and elegant, it reflects the foundation's dedication to positive change and community support, honoring Her Majesty's vision for a brighter future.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsThe journey began with deep exploration of the Sayyida Ahad Al Busaidiyah Foundation’s mission. I wanted each petal to visually echo a pillar—women, special needs, environment, anti-bullying, and underprivileged support. Inspired by the Arcadia flower, which holds personal significance for Her Majesty, I created a form that felt both natural and purposeful. Dozens of sketches evolved into a geometric petal shape that could unify these values without overwhelming the viewer—resulting in a minimal, balanced symbol.
Each petal needed to function as both a design element and a conceptual anchor. I focused on proportion and symmetry, ensuring that no petal overshadowed another, mirroring the equal importance of each cause. Using soft, curved lines and subtle spatial balance, I abstracted each pillar just enough to be symbolically meaningful while preserving overall harmony. Rigorous iteration and testing on different scales helped me refine that equilibrium.
The Arcadia flower isn’t just a botanical symbol—it’s a deeply personal emblem to Her Majesty. That connection imbued the entire process with reverence. I approached the design with a sense of cultural and emotional responsibility, ensuring that the final identity felt authentic and respectfully celebratory. This guided my decision to retain the flower’s essence while stylizing it in a timeless, inclusive form.
The color palette was chosen to reflect purity, clarity, and approachability. Soft whites and neutrals nod to the flower’s natural hue, while scalable geometry ensures clarity at all sizes—from a lapel pin to a billboard. I also ensured the logo performed well in monochrome, grayscale, and reversed formats, to maintain consistency across digital and print, merchandise, and environmental graphics.
My research revealed the Arcadia flower’s cultural associations with peace, beauty, and resilience—qualities that aligned seamlessly with the foundation’s goals. Each petal was mapped conceptually to a cause, and then developed through a visual language that allowed for both collective unity and individual recognition. The final design reflects a thoughtful synthesis of botanical inspiration and social purpose.
Growth is symbolized through the outward expansion of the petals—each blooming in unison from a central point of unity. Hope is reflected in the lightness of form and spaciousness between elements. Empowerment comes from the strength of the structure—graceful yet grounded, elegant but strong. These abstract ideas informed the composition and flow, allowing viewers to intuitively feel the values behind the design.
It was crucial that no pillar visually dominated the others. I treated each petal as an equal contributor to the whole—varying them only subtly to maintain organic visual interest. The radial symmetry reinforces collective strength. By grounding the symbol in a shared aesthetic language, the logo avoids favoring any one cause and instead invites all audiences into a unified vision.
The most powerful feature is the logo’s quiet symbolism. Without needing words, it conveys balance, growth, and purpose. Its minimalist elegance allows the viewer to project their own connection to the foundation’s values. That openness makes it memorable, adaptable, and emotionally resonant—qualities central to effective visual storytelling.
One unexpected insight came during early testing: when the petals were arranged too symmetrically, the logo felt static—too perfect. Slight adjustments in curvature and spacing brought life and authenticity to the design. I also discovered that the white color was more powerful when paired with negative space, allowing it to “breathe” and convey subtle strength.
The Arcadia logo serves as a visual ambassador. Its clean, universal form allows communities from diverse cultural backgrounds to connect with it intuitively. I envision it being used not just on official materials, but also adapted into educational campaigns, grassroots movements, and community installations—where it can become a symbol of hope and shared purpose, sparking meaningful conversations.
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