Logo and branding design for a self-directed and filmed video series on masculinity.
The Shoulder is a video series and social campaign on masculinity that I created, filmed, edited, and designed a logo, ads, and a website for. The campaign, which was inspired by Martin Nuñez-Bonilla’s “Men Cry” series, centers around video testimonials, and aims to challenge restrictive definitions of masculinity, encouraging men to be more comfortable with emotional vulnerability.
Logo Design
The concept for the logo, which uses a teardrop icon to replace the “o” in “shoulder,” came from the show’s focus on normalizing emotional vulnerability and providing a platform for men to explore pain.
Visual Identity
I used a bright, more “traditionally feminine” color palette, consisting of hot pink, bright blue, and a sunshine-like pastel yellow, in an effort to highlight the focus on challenging traditional gender roles and expectations. I also felt that the pink and blue combination would send a quick visual signal that the series was centered around the topic of gender, and that the blue would work well with the teardrop icon.
Sketches/Process
Inspiration
Videography
Through my research, I found that sometimes the presence of a female in content on toxic masculinity was off-putting to male viewers, and as a result I considered removing myself entirely from the content; however, I ultimately decided to leave my voice in the interviews to allow for a more natural flow of conversation between myself and my interviewees and also to be transparent with my audience about the fact that this content is in fact coming from a woman.
I had the opportunity in one of my classes to speak with French documentary maker Marcel Trillat, whose work focuses largely on social issues, and he and his son Julien Trillat insisted that I keep my voice in the work, saying that if my being a woman would change a viewer’s perception of the work, they should be allowed to make that judgement themselves.
I also decided not to follow the structure of my interview questions too rigidly, as I found that often tangents and improvised conversations sparked by follow-up questions not only provided interesting insight into the topic, but also allowed for authentic and lighthearted moments that showcased the personalities of the interviewees.
Stills
