Laugh Lover's Ball Identity- Before
by Jeff Fisher, Engineer of Creative Identity
Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Background:

In late 2001 Seattle comedian David Crowe contacted me to redesign the identity for the Laugh Lover's Ball, a comedy event held each Valentine's Day. The fundraising event involves a host of national and local comedians performing a number of comic genres including: sketch, stand-up, poetry, music and some audience participation gags. Funds raised by this event benefit youth education programs onboard the historic Puget Sound schooner Adventuress. For the previous six years a collage of art elements, photo imagery and distorted type had been combined in a logo representing the night of comedy. Crowe felt it was time to create a strong, simple, cleaner symbol to represent the fundraising event from year to year.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I was asked to create a new identity that would maintain elements of the logo already in use. While continuing to use their signature font Harrington, I incorporated the arrow tip as the "A" letterform in the word "BALL." A more graphic representation of the "Groucho Marx" glasses/nose combo was used to illustrate a face on the heart idea "borrowed" from the original design and the tagline for the evening was included in the new logo. Years later the revamped logo is still representing this great event.

Alina's Feedback:

Jeff's type treatment alone is enough to give me a hugh sigh of relief. I have never been a big fan of tweaked type, and Harrington is a rather ornate typeface, so to warp it only makes it scary. It's nice having the tagline in place as well to explain the event and "round-out" the logo. Even though the two illustration styles are different, you definitely know immediately that it is Groucho Marx.