Whenever we get the chance to work on a logo, I am always excited! I’m also happy to lend a hand when I am able. So when we were asked to work on a pro bono job that would create a logo for a new foundation, The Kumari Project, I was thrilled.

The Kumari Project is a Eugene-based not-for-profit organization that provides basic health, education, job training and work opportunities for some of the thousands of orphans living in Nepal. (Estimates are that more than 40,000 children live on the streets in Nepal.) The Kumari Project was founded by Arun Storrs, who was born in Nepal and adopted by her mother, Beth, when she was 7 weeks old. After traveling back to Nepal many times, and leading student volunteer trips, she started The Kumari Project. Arun is a graduate of South Eugene and Yale. It’s been such a rewarding experience to work together. She has such energy!

The word “Kumari” means princess in Nepali. Although Arun says the majority of children they assist are girls, they do help a significant number of boys. That led my design to avoid a literal translation of the word and to focus more on the location, Nepal (home to the tallest mountain range in the world). I also looked for something that suggested “caring,” “children” and “empowering”. (The foundation tagline is “Empowering Nepalese Children”.)

After researching pictures and images online, and looking at the materials Arun provided, I chose a simple color palette that felt like Nepal, and projected the care Arun’s foundation offers. The color red has a very “auspicious” meaning in Nepal, and the orange/marigold tones, along with shades of brown/tan seemed to work. Textures also seemed to be very relevant as they impart a more “human/natural” feel to an organization that is focused on helping children. We also tried to keep the “roughs” simple to complement the longer name and tagline.

Take a look at where we are right now, toward the end of the project. Arun has suggested minor changes to several of the logos and we are trying out various different color variations. I can’t wait to show you the final logo! You can check out The Kumari Project’s website if you’d like to know more about this wonderful organization. (Grace, a friend of Arun’s is lending her talents to that part of the project.)

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