As a student at North Dakota State University and officer/member of the NDSU Women’s Activist Organization (WAO) from 2011-2015 I handled much of the design for the group. The organization’s primary goal was peer education regarding feminist issues with a focus on reproductive rights. The organization also worked to create a safe atmosphere for students to discuss issues and serve the campus/community through volunteer work and speakers/events.

The varied weights of each letter in the logo reflect the values of the organization in order of emphasis.

1. We are organized by women.

2. We are activists.

3. Finally and most importantly, there is power in organizing and joining forces.

The raised fist has long been a sign of solidarity and support, associated with women’s empowerment and the women’s movement.

The logo was created to be used in a rainbow of colors to signify the many differences amongst the members of our organization, but on a larger scale, women and activists in general. The simplicity and clean lines of the logo allowed us to play with color in print and digital, but also cut costs where needed due to limited funding as a student organization.

When designing the t-shirt, we opted to print in one color and instead play with halftones to achieve a look that married the multicolored digital versions of the logo while keeping our costs low.