Peter Mott House Logo Project

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The Lawnside Historical Society was formed in response to the planned demolition of a local home located in Lawnside, New Jersey – one of the few incorporated African American communities in the United States. The Lawnside community was able to negotiate with a property developer to save the home of Peter and Elizabeth Mott. Peter Mott, a suspected escaped enslaved person and his wife Elizabeth used their household as a stop on the Underground Railroad to help other enslaved people on their journeys North to freedom. The Lawnside Historical Society is dedicated to the protection of the legacy of Peter and Elizabeth Mott and their home as part of the Underground Railroad network.

Client

Lawnside Historical Society

Timeline

July 2021

Work

Logo Project

Tools

Wordpress, Illustrator, XD, Canva

Website

www.petermotthouse.org

Challenge

The Lawnside Historical Society original logo designed for them in the early years of the organization’s formation had degraded over time. The original logo had been developed for print production and to be used on letterhead, banners and printed documents. The organization's only functioning copy of the logo was of a small size JPG format, in a single color. Due to a planned website redesign, their original logo was not going to be suitable for the new website because it was not in a vector format.

In addition to a logo for the Peter Mott House, LHS also wanted a logo for the organization that would align with the historical site. Both two logos should work independently and seamlessly together to reflect the spirit of both entities.

Approach

I chose to maintain the integrity of the original logo’s intent. The original logo featured the historical house. Despite the unassuming nature of the Peter Mott House, this home had saved countless enslaved peoples on their journey North to freedom. I wanted to keep the simplicity of the house silhouette into the new logo design. I wanted the organization to have a modern logo that had a timelessness to it - something that could carry both the historical site and nonprofit into the future.

Solution

Based on outcomes from the Discovery process, I suggested several color palettes for the LHS Executive Board to review. Once a color palette was selected, I used high contrast color values of midnight blue and goldenrod yellow to give the design a dramatic punch. The final logo incorporated a candle flame into the design to represent one of the ways Underground Railroad operators would identify their homes at night as a welcome place of respite for the enslaved fleeing north. The flame also symbolized the strength of eternal hope for justice, equity and freedom that still burns in the souls of the enslaved of yesterday and connects with African Americans of today.

The circular mark is a modern take on the current Peter Mott House that still stands in Lawnside, NJ. The bold and modern typeface was chosen to reflect continued courage, resilience and resourcefulness of the inhabitants then and its supporters now.

Their logo set includes various versions for the Peter Mott House and the Lawnside Historical Society, which works to keep the memory of the Underground Railroad stop and the Mott family alive today.

Outcome

The site now has a modern, clean appearance that is distinctive and showcases the vibrant and remarkable spirit of the Lawnside community. The final product helps the historical site to better connect with visitors and guests, due the pandemic, and allows them to rank higher in organic search results.

In less than a year of the site launch, LHS has partnered with corporations, organizations and local community members to host a series of talks and events to encourage visitors and supporters to keep learning about Peter Mott and the existence of the Lawnside community as one the oldest African American communities in the US.