Things We May Need

Things We May Need is a podcast by musician, writer and cultural-worker, Abdu Ali where they interview emergent Black artists, writers and underground musicians, telling their stories about what made them who they are today. Abdu came to me in 2021 to create a logo to represent this body of work.

Inspiration - Mr. SOUl! Ellis Haizlip

One of Abdu’s big inspirations for Things We May Need was Ellis Haizlip and the recent documentary Mr. Soul!. Haizlip’s show Soul! ran from 1968-1973, and was unlike anything else at the time. It was a Black variety show featuring artists such as Nikki Giovanni, Stevie Wonder, Muhammad Ali, and Harry Belafonte. Ellis Haizlip was an openly gay playwright and producer, who’s goal for the show was to showcase the breadth of Black artistry and culture that existed at the time. Things We May Need sought to continue that legacy, so the foundation of the logo and brand was to explore imagery from the show and from the times.

Process

For the font it was clear that we wanted to do something along the lines of a script or a serif font. I explored different options of how to invoke the swashes of the 1970s, until finally landing on Losta Masta as the font to go with

One of my favorite things about this typeface was the ligatures and swashes. There were a variety to choose from, and each was more beautiful than the last. It made it very fun to play with and choose from, and the combination of softness with the modern serif felt like the right blend between the 1970’s and today.

Final logotype

For the final logotype we cleaned up the ligatures and swatches for a simpler look, while still providing plenty of movement for the eye to dance with. I provided a wide color palette for versatility, as well as a version that includes a feature circle for the podcast guest’s portrait. The result is an identity that feels warm, familiar and engaging.