A Logo just for MCRS!
Logo: (noun) A name, symbol, or trademark that represents a thing or idea, uniquely designed for easy and definite recognition.
One very important step to establishing MCRS is developing our own unique logo. Because the logo represents our group, it was important to design a meaningful logo that incorporates some of the core ideas of the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society.
The board worked for several months with professional graphic designer, Angie O'Neal, to develop the logo you see here. Angie, who has a house rabbit herself, was very patient and did several revisions before this final version.
So, what does the new logo represent?
First, it was important to give the impression that the rabbits were indoors. By placing them next to books, MCRS felt it establishes the rabbits are not outdoors and for people who have never heard of indoor rabbits, it would give them something to think about.
The books also represent the importance of education to the MCRS purpose. Education is the tool we can use to make the most difference for the most rabbits. As such, it is a central and critical element of MCRS and represented by the books.
The number of books was set at two to represent the two aspects of our mission - Education and Adoption. That's why those words are shown on the spines of the books. The logo becomes a graphical representation of the MCRS mission:
- Education - To reduce the number of unwanted rabbits and to improve the lives of companion rabbits by educating the public and assisting humane societies.
- Adoption - To help rabbits in area shelters, or that shelters can no longer care for, to find permanent homes.
No logo would be complete without a rabbit. This was probably the single hardest part. We wanted a realistic looking bun, but not any specific bun. So the lines are simple and there is no markings on their coats. The idea is that these could be any rabbit.
One of the major points of discussion was what type of rabbit should be in the logo. We eventually settled on two rabbits to help represent the diversity of the rabbit world. The lop is actually based on Angie's own rabbit and the other bun is drawn from a photo of long-time foster, Turbo. It was important that the two rabbits not appear to be parent/child, and it seemed that the difference in ears would represent that for most people. The presence of two rabbits also reinforces the importance of rabbit-to-rabbit companionship.
In an effort to show rabbits as something other than "boring cage animals," we asked Angie to show at least one bun in action. The bun in back is clearly curious about their surroundings. In addition, the stack of two books are slightly out of alignment, to represent the buns had already explored them. We even experimented with showing one of the books nibbled on, but that didn't have the effect MCRS wanted.
The next decision was on how to represent the words in the logo. MCRS definitely wanted the group name included. After several different options, it was determined to that rather than split the four words evenly in half, it made more sense to split just "Minnesota" off. This enabled us to keep the words "companion rabbit" together, which MCRS felt was an important part of the message. The word "Minnesota" was placed above the books to give the curious bun something to investigate.
The final decision was on what font to use. It needed to be easily readable, but MCRS also wanted something with a little style. After considering several possibilities, the board finally agreed on the font shown in the logo.
The board is very pleased with the final result and feel it will serve as a meaningful representation of the MCRS purpose and values.
