Armadillo Study
1. Project Brief / Overview
An emotionally expressive rapper, inspired by artists like NF, approached me to design a logo that would capture his vulnerability, strength, and personal identity. His music channels deep emotional themes, and he needed a symbol that would reflect that balance something personal, striking, and versatile across digital platforms and merch.
2. Discovery & Research
To begin, I asked him key questions about who he is, who his audience is, and how he feels when writing lyrics and performing. From our conversations, a strong theme emerged: in daily life, he’s emotionally guarded but music is his release. His audience is made up of deep thinkers who are drawn to emotionally honest music in the vein of NF.
This insight led me to explore visual metaphors around emotional defense, hidden strength, and expressive vulnerability. I deliberately avoided overused symbols like hearts or masks — we needed something that felt personal and unique.
3. Concept Development
The client requested an icon-based logo. I brainstormed a few ideas, but many felt too generic or visually overdone. Then the idea of an armadillo surfaced, a small, unassuming creature known for its natural armor. When I discovered that “armadillo” is Spanish for little armored one, everything clicked.
It was a metaphor that matched perfectly: vulnerable but guarded, soft but protected. I began sketching poses, experimenting with movement and shape. The curled-up form stood out it offered emotional symbolism while also allowing for strong geometric balance. I thickened the outlines and leaned into sharp angles to reflect emotional intensity almost like a visual knife-edge.
I even ran the early sketches by a few people for feedback — including my cat, who placed his paw right on my notebook like he knew we had something.
4. Design Execution
I refined the chosen sketch in Illustrator, simplifying the design by removing the legs and focusing on a clean, minimal silhouette. This helped create a strong, versatile logo that could scale well across applications. I delivered a version in black and white for maximum contrast and emotional weight.
The client responded immediately, he loved the first version and requested an inverted version. I created it and also mocked the logo up on a hat to help him visualize its real-world potential.
5. Motion & Expansion
To extend the brand, I began building mock single and album cover designs to explore tone and storytelling beyond the logo itself. These visuals helped set a mood and direction for future releases, giving him a visual identity that could grow with his sound.
I’m also in the process of developing a short animated logo reveal. The concept is to have the armor lock into place piece by piece visually representing emotional walls forming as a defense, tied to the themes of his music.
