Poetry Postcard Fest Logo
Client: Poetry Postcard Fest, an annual event of Cascadia Poetics LAB, Seattle, WA
Scope: Logo redesign and core identity mark
Role: Logo and identity designer
Platform: Print and digital applications
Timeline: February-March 2022
Context: Poetry Postcard Fest is an annual, internationally recognized 56-day poetry exchange centered on spontaneity, daily creative practice, and community connection. Participants commit to writing and mailing one postcard poem per day, creating a global, analog network of writers and artists.
As the project evolved an grew in visibility, the identity needed to better reflect the festival’s playful, handmade spirit while remaining clearly connected to Cascadia Poetics LAB.
The Challenge: The primary challenge was creating a logo that could balance warmth, whimsy, and clarity:
A long program name that needed to remain legible and friendly
A tone that felt artsy and community-driven, not institutional
Visual cues that immediately signaled mail, exchange, and movement
An identity flexible enough to support annual iterations and collateral
The logo needed to feel inviting and informal, without becoming messy or unclear.
The Solution: The refreshed logo draws directly from the language of postal exchange and handmade communication.
Whimsical elements—such as stamp-like typography, postage marks, and a flying envelope—reinforce the festival’s analog roots and sense of motion. The overall tone is intentionally playful and offbeat, echoing the collage-like, creative spirit of the event while remaining readable and recognizable across formats.
Rather than treating the logo as a static mark, it was designed to live comfortably alongside annually changing postcard illustrations and event graphics.
Key design decisions included
Postage-Inspired Visual Language
Incorporating stamp forms, postal marks, and mail motifs to immediately communicate the festival’s premise.
Friendly, Hand-Touched Tone
Using expressive typography and illustration to reflect community, creativity, and accessibility.
Clarity Despite a Long Name
Balancing playful elements with clear hierarchy to ensure the full program name remains legible.
Compatibility with Annual Variations
Designing the logo to pair easily with new postcard artwork and color variations each year.
The Result: The refreshed Poetry Postcard Fest logo provides a recognizable, welcoming identity that reflects the spirit of the event while supporting its continued growth. The logo works consistently across print, digital, and social contexts, and integrates seamlessly with annually updated postcard imagery and promotional materials.
Its ongoing use reinforces familiarity while leaving room for creative renewal year after year.
What This Project Demonstrates:
Designing playful, community-driven identities without sacrificing clarity
Translating analog processes into contemporary visual language
Refreshing an existing identity while preserving continuity
Supporting recurring cultural programs through adaptable logo systems