Free Pen - Brand identity for a cartoonists’ platform
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A pencil tip that doubles as a mountain peak.
Free Pen
Brand identity, 2016
About the project
Free Pen, Alqalam Alhor in Arabic, is a platform for cartoonists across the Middle East, founded by Jordanian cartoonist and TEDx speaker Omar Abdallat. Omar wanted one name that artists from every country could share, for work about humanity, creativity and freedom of thought. In 2016 we built the brand around a sharpened pencil tip that doubles as a mountain peak, set inside a circle for the world.
Project
Free Pen Brand Identity
Industry
Art and Media
Location
Amman, Jordan
Date
2016
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Client Request
Omar wanted a home for caricature artists from all over the Middle East: one brand that could travel between countries and hold many cultures and styles of drawing.
Omar Abdallat
Founder, Free Pen
Design Pillars
Core Brand Principles
The mark starts with the one tool every cartoonist owns, sharpened to a point.
The Arabic name sits above FREE PEN in English, under one mark.
The circle works as a frame, so any artist’s drawing can sit inside the logo.
Exploration
From a Pencil to the World
The Pencil
We started with a pencil and kept only its sharpened tip.
The Mountain
Turned upright, the tip reads as a mountain peak, drawn over golden-ratio circles.
The World
A red circle around the peak stands for the world Omar wanted the artists to reach.
The Challenge
Problem Statement
The Main Goal: One Name for the Region’s Cartoonists
Free Pen had to speak for artists from many countries, each with their own style and audience. The mark had to be simple enough to sit next to any drawing, read clearly in Arabic and English, and carry the platform from Jordan to the wider region.
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Free pencil and a dream can take you anywhere.
Free Pen Poster
Plexable, 2016
Our Approach
Solution
A Brand Built Around the Artists’ Work
A bilingual logo, red and black colors, artwork frames, quote posts, a poster, a wax seal and a newspaper design, all built around the artists’ drawings. It is an example of our Branding work.
01 - Logo and Icon
A pencil-tip peak inside a circle, with the name in Arabic and English.
02 - Color
Red and black, with plenty of white so the artwork stands out.
03 - Brand in Use
Artwork frames, quote posts, a poster, a wax seal and the Tomato Cartoon newspaper.
Before & After
The Blueprint & Evolution
Sketch to Final Mark
We checked the shape against golden-ratio circles before drawing the final mark.
Before: the construction lines over a mountain photo.
After: the finished Free Pen logo in red and black.
Design
Key Features
A Frame for Every Drawing
Artists’ cartoons sit inside the circle, under the pencil tip, so the drawing leads each post.
A Newspaper of Cartoons
We designed the first issue of Tomato Cartoon, a youth cartoon newspaper dated 6 January 2016.
Design System
Visual Identity
Bilingual Name
The Arabic name sits above FREE PEN in bold capitals, both in black under the mark.
Color Palette
Red fills the circle, black draws the ring and pencil, and white keeps the art clear.
Quote Posts
Arabic quotes sit under the mark or beside an artist’s drawing, with freepen.jo at the foot.
Impact
From Sketch to Newsprint
Results for Free Pen
Free Pen got one mark for its social posts, prints and newspaper, simple enough to sit beside any artist’s drawing.
Free Pen
Result
By the Numbers
1 Bilingual Logo
The Arabic name and FREE PEN in English under one mark.
2 Brand Colors
Red and black, on the logo, the poster and the wax seal.
Issue 1 of Tomato Cartoon
The newspaper’s first issue, dated 6 January 2016.
Exploration
The Logo Journey
From Pencil to World
The idea went from a pencil to a mountain to the world, and each step stayed in the final mark. We then used it to frame Omar’s cartoons, quote posts and print pieces. You can see some of them below.
Final Showcase
The Free Pen Brand
