Funk Family Crest

I designed this for Draplin's logo design class on Skillshare.

I spent some time reviewing family history documents and scouring the web for visual artifacts that would represent one side of my family's story. I then used them as reference images, which I created new graphics for in Sketch app.

My 'first' ancestor on record on my father's side immigrated to America from Germany in 1831. Before he arrived, he allegedly threw his last penny into Boston harbor so that he could say he arrived with nothing in his pockets. After working as a journeyman tailor in Boston he migrated westward and began farming in Wisconsin. Many of his sons and daughters continued to explore and settle in the midwest from Colorado on down to Oklahoma. They were involved in all manner of farming, cattle rustling and teaching occupations.

DESIGN ELEMENTS:

• Wheat laurels. The wheat represents all of the wheat farming various members of my family have done over the course of the last century and a half (and still do today).

• Highway plate. I thought it would be awesome to use a highway sign as family crest. It seemed much more fitting of my midwestern / American heritage than any 'medieval' shape.

• Coin. The coin and text 'without a penny' is an ode to the story told above. I placed it beneath the crest to drive home the point that it was discarded. I think it provides a nice anchor for the design both visually and thematically.