Introducing the New FHANA Logo

Introducing the New FHANA Logo by Jackie Robbins of www.EqGraphics.com

Like many of you, I can vividly remember my first encounter with a Friesian Horse. It was in April of 1992 at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo in Denver, Colorado where I met the approved stallion, Frans 289. Due to my excitement level, his owners allowed a 10 year kid to spend the next hour in his stall. Fast forward 3 decades and I’ve owned several Friesians throughout the years, yet I never would have imagined I would be rebranding the Association.

FHANA’s logo has been in discussion for the past 4 years and many artists have created various renditions that never obtained board approval. Last year, we received a call from one of our clients, Joe Michelli of Extreme Friesians, who also happened to be the newly elected Chair of the Marketing Committee. Joe asked if we would consider tackling this project for FHANA and while I was hesitant knowing the history of the artists who came before me, Joe’s genuine enthusiasm for this project ignited my own.

I was invited to join the marketing committee where we established a set of guidelines to attempt to bring the FHANA rebrand to a close.

The new logo needed to be…

Recognizable as a Friesian Horse
Easy to embroider
Must look good in all sizes
Look good in any color on any color
Incorporate an element or wording to pay homage to KFPS

The Initial Plan…

Create 4 logos in entirely different styles that each appeal to a different audience and run a large scale social media campaign to gauge popularity.

Why it Didn’t Work…

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a perfectionist to a fault. On average, 30-40 logo concepts are thrown away before I create something I like enough to present to one of our clients. And with a project as special and impactful as rebranding FHANA, I put more pressure on myself than ever before.

Nothing I was coming up with appealed to all disciplines within the breed, and nothing appealed to all ‘types’ within the breed.

Several weeks into the project, I felt we needed additional guidelines and I wanted to focus on creating ONE image that could meet everything we listed previously PLUS…

Appeal to ALL disciplines within the breed
Appeal to breeders of both modern and traditional type friesians
Represent the elite status of the Friesian Horse

Meet #280

FHANA concept number 280 was the first and only logo presented to the marketing committee and ultimately the board. And by unanimous vote, the new face of FHANA was adopted. David created a short film that illustrates our own passion for Friesian Horses and a behind-the-scenes look at the actual creation of “The New Face of FHANA”. We hope you enjoy the video and share with your fellow Friesian enthusiasts.

 

Jackie and David

EQ Graphics, Inc.