Brand Development and Logo Design for a Memorial Non-Profit in Nebraska

Gail Arthur Wicks was a beloved member of the community of North Platte, Nebraska. Born there in 1933, he quickly sought out a way to better the lives of his local farmers by studying soil science at The University of Nebraska West Central Research and Extension Center, located in his hometown.

In 1970, he founded the North Platte Belles, a youth girls summer softball team driven to enhance the natural abilities of the athletes and prepare them for a future playing career. Following his passing in 2005, his family sought to develop a website and brand identity that would serve as a memorial and educate visitors about his life and legacy.

Our creative team channeled the spirit of Gail Wicks through the logo design, creating an accented silhouette that showcased his signature sunglasses, ball cap, and beaming smile. The simple color scheme recalls memories of the grass that Gail Wicks cares so much for.

Gail Wicks began his life of service as a soil scientist, striving to improve the farming conditions of local farmers following the destruction of dust storms stemming from the nearby Dust Bowl. His research led to the development of a number of alternative farming techniques, such as no-till and eco-fallow farming. Both techniques also allowed for lower water usage to establish and maintain the growth of crops, redesigning the traditional methods farmers used to grow their crops.

Another passion of Gail’s was the softball program of North Platte. After volunteering as a coach and mentor for years, he decided to establish the North Platte Belles IN 1970, a summer program based around not only sports training, but also the empowerment of young women. In 2020, the team celebrated their 50th anniversary with coaches, staff, and alumni players. One of the coaches was the second of three generations of her family to play on the team, following her aunt and coaching her daughter. She feels honored leading the legacy and continuing the teachings and memory of Gail Wicks.

A scholarship program was established in his honor, awarding $500 to an eligible senior softball player attending one of two local schools. This program supported Gail’s dream of building strong, intelligent women and helping them achieve their goals and dreams. A custom logo design was central to the creation of a homepage for the scholarship program and an informational memorial of Gail Wicks.

Our creative team understood the importance of representing the memory of Gail Wicks in a simple, yet elegant manner. Rather than create a mash-up of his passions, we decided to more clearly represent the man of honor himself by replicating his trademark style – aviators, a ballcap, and his infectious smile.

The image of the design was created to be the silhouette of Gail Wicks himself. At the bottom of the image, we included only the nape of the neck downward at a sharp angle, creating a shape that directed the eye down towards the name of the website. In traditional silhouette style, we kept the image almost entirely black, although we added an artistic touch to recreate his signature glasses. By inverting the color of the glasses, we added contrast and a three-dimensional appearance to the image, allowing the viewer to distinguish that his face is angled slightly towards the front.

The text of the design was divided into two parts, the name of the website and the slogan of the organization. The name of the website, ‘GailWicks.org’ was formatted in a distinguished serif font and all capital letters. The majority of the text was black, while the word ‘Wicks’ was accented by a larger font for the ‘W’ and a light, grassy green color representative of both the weeds he researched and the grass of the softball field he so meticulously cared for.