With the goal of creating a unique mark to represent Rashod on and off the field, the team at IFA laid the strategic foundation for our design direction by compiling key influences and sources of inspiration from a variety of industries including entertainment, fashion, lifestyle & culture. Distilling these aspirational brands down to their core elements, qualities, and character traits, we were able to engage the design phase with a set of ingredients we knew resonated with Rashod while preserving flexibility to follow our creative instincts and explore unexpected solutions discovered throughout the process.
Once again, thanks to The IFA and Chris for the opportunity to team up, and to TheMilla for generously allowing me to showcase the RB logo along side his photos above. For more football action, tune in to see Rashod hit the field with the Ravens this fall!
Emerging as a key contributor for the Ravens receiving unit, Rashod Bateman is a renaissance athlete whose on-field performance, entrepreneurial instinct, attitude, and ambition set him apart. In collaboration with Chris Liskiewicz of Team IFA, I had the opportunity to lead the design of Rashod’s personal brand logo, equipping him with a distinctive mark and foundation of his personal brand to grow side-by-side for his career.
When when approached by Chris Liskiewicz of Team IFA to lead the design process of a logo for Rashod’s brand identity, I was thrilled to be working side-by-side with an athlete so engaged and invested in creative process. Going by the motto, “Be You, Only You” and taking pride in being authentically his unfiltered self, our challenge was to create a mark that could represent an athlete with a unique style and whose persona expands far beyond the field of play.
Unlike the community and consumer-centric perspective that many teams, leagues, and businesses must consider, the top priority for a personal brand identity is that it resonates with the individual and is an authentic representation of them in visual form.
These metrics for success are essential, but lack the specificity to practically guide the design process. Narrowing our focus through guided dialogue with Rashod, we explored his personal story, values, beliefs, and aspirations while compiling his sources of inspiration from across all mediums. With these insights, a stylistic compass to guide exploration, and clearer goals for what the logo could and couldn't be, we launched into the design of the mark and ultimately landed on a blackletter 'RB' monogram composed in the rough silhouette of a shield.
Stylistically resonant, unique, and adaptable for use on and off the field, I'm proud of the outcome and look forward to where Rashod takes it in the coming seasons!
Chris Liskiewicz | Project Manager
Jeremy Nelson | Design Lead / AD
TheMilla | Photographer
Team IFA
Chris Liskiewicz
TheMillla
Rashod’s IG
Rashod’s Youtube
Visual Identity
Logo Design
Typography