When Lynne M. Jackson, Founder of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation reached out to let me know she had recommended me to Judge Mason and board members to provide a brand design for them, I knew at once the aesthetic direction I would work to reflect.
The identity I would develop would have to convey the visual character and quality of an official authority, while reflecting “who” the foundation represented and “what” the initiative was purposed to serve.
“Few projects have resonated more with me personally than this one.”
— Mark Scott Carroll
My search for a symbol or an icon I could work with, led me to the West African Adinkra symbol called “FAWOHODIE” (pronounced FA-HO-DE-AY). Its definition, in short, is “INDEPENDENCE, FREEDOM, AND EMANCIPATION.”
Its broader meaning can be found at Symbolikon.
From this point forward, every aspect of the concept and design took on a life of its own.
I described the icon to the board members as “being the cornerstone of the foundation’s identity.” Fashioning the Fawohodie symbol into a 3-D block establishes a solid presence, weight, and foundation. The tangent sides of the icons have been oriented to create the block shape, which represents the bond and connectedness of the human family.
The familiar color palette was chosen because of what the colors symbolize. Yellow: Sun & Prosperity, Green: Mother Nature, and Red: Our Blood and History. Complimented with the black typography of the Foundation’s title, it means: Our Shared Identity.
Suffice it to say, that over the 4+ decades working as graphic designer few projects have resonated more with me personally than this one. I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to create an identity to serve in this capacity. It’s truly humbling.
Mark Scott Carroll,
Graphic Designer
FREEDOM SUITS MEMORIAL FOUNDATION 