Gate River Run
About the Project
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The Gate River Run is a yearly 15-kilometer road race held in Jacksonville, Florida, drawing in more than 20,000 participants each March, making it the largest of its kind in the nation.
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Each year, a fresh logo is designed specifically for the Gate River Run. The client typically leans towards logos that embody Jacksonville's rich history and culture, rather than opting for generic designs commonly seen in marathon events.
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Designer: Isabel Arnold
Art Director: Ken Walkord
I worked on this project as a component of my graphic design internship with Dalton. To learn more about my experience, click here.
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Adobe Illustrator, Figma
The Design Process
When gathering inspiration, I looked for logos that incorporated architecture and a hand drawn feel. A lot of the City of Jacksonville branding uses bright, summery colors and bold geometric shapes, so I also looked for logos that incorporated these concepts. After gathering inspiration, I came up with and sketched 3 concepts, shown below.
Inspiration & Visual Research
Concept A incorporated bright colors, Jax architecture and a summery feel. Concept B had a hand-drawn architectural feel and Concept C was based around water and the idea of containing typography within a shape.
My art director recommended that I drop concept B because of it’s similarity to concept A, and to continue developing concepts A and C.
Concept A Concept B Concept C
Concept A Development
Original Logo Concepts Midpoint Logos
Concept A incorporates elements of Jacksonville's culture by utilizing vibrant, summery colors, featuring a Florida sunrise, and showcasing an iconic view of the city skyline.
The chosen font echoes the sketchy elements originally from Concept B, creating a lighthearted and inspirational tone. Additionally, I applied an overlapping effect to the buildings to imbue them with a sense of transparency when juxtaposed with the radiant force of the Florida sun.
Final Logos
Concept C Development
Original Logo Concepts
Midpoint Logos
Given Jacksonville's location on the St. John’s River and its proximity to the beach, water plays a significant role in the city's culture. I represented this in logo C by morphing the shape into a water droplet. I played with different typography concepts within the water droplet, settling on one that connected the words river and run.
In the final logos, I used gradients to add dimension and visual interest to the water droplet and a simple sans-serif font to contrast the more detailed typography within the water droplet. The logo emphasizes the importance of water in both the Gate River Run and Jacksonville culture in general.
Final Logos
