Brand development, Logo design

The Hamilton Public Library in Hamilton, New York was looking for a brand update that represented where the library is now, and where they plan to go in the future. The library is in a transition, moving away from the book depository model, and toward a more family focused, active library.

The old Hamilton Public Library logo was a drawing of the lantern that used to hang off the historic building (top left). Now in storage, the staff felt it didn’t accurately represent the library. Visiting the town and surrounding areas, I was immediately struck by how many trees there are in upstate New York. Working researchers from Colgate University, we identified the key trees native to the area, and eventually settled on an elm leaf as the main logo. The curve of the elm leaf worked well and created the idea of it transitioning into book pages.