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The Mekong River is a home to a variety of flora and fauna. Over 60 million people rely on the Mekong and its resources in countries like Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. However, the livelihoods and ecologies are being impacted by global warming, dams and industrialization.

When I came aboard this project, creating a visual identity that showcases the mission statement and people was, at first, difficult to imagine. The countries a part of this project have similar but different histories and cultures that challenged me to find a design that was appropriate and clear to everyone involved. Many of my ideas consisted of curved forms that were meant to represent community and unity during the idealization and sketching stage.

As the design became more developed, the visual elements that I decided to include in the logo went beyond representing community and started to encompass the deeper relationship between the river and ecosystem.

More information about this project can be found here.

Role

• Logo Design: Developed a visual identity that embodies the project’s values of Water, Ecology, Land, Livelihoods while giving it a human-centered appeal.

Challenges

• Diverse Audience: Faced the challenge of considering the multiple countries that the Mekong River runs through; each with distinct cultural and historical contexts. I aimed to avoid overly simplistic or stereotypical visuals, striving instead for an authentic, illustrative logo.

• Limited Direction: Initial communication gaps with the project director, who was often occupied, led to uncertainty around vision and timelines.

Approach

• Shared Values Focus: Grounded the design in the core communal values connected to the river and its people: unity, and cultural respect.

• Consistent Updates: Established a routine of check-ins to keep the director informed on design iterations, ensuring alignment and refining direction gradually.

Outcome

• Clear and Meaningful Identity: Resulted in a dynamic, illustrative logo that resonates culturally and symbolically. The design integrates key elements—like the Mekong catfish, river lines, rice plant, and fisher to reflect both ecological wealth and human livelihoods. Earth-tone colors represent the sediment-rich river and the land it nourishes, offering depth beyond typical water blues.

Client: Mekong Culture WELL

Art Direction: Amanda Flaim