We started with a logo for their 2020 fundraising campaign, #20 in 2020. Initial options included a graphic corresponding with the Year of the Rat, but ultimately they wanted to include a dragon boat to help unify who the fundraising was for.
Initial Concepts
Final Logos
CDBF loved the new dragon boat icon so much that they wanted to use it to update their whole organization logo in addition to 3 of their program logos, Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival & Colorado Dragon Boat Emerging Leaders program. We helped update their color pallets using a different color to help show the different programs and unify their whole organization brand with the dragon boat icon.
Old logos
In 2021, I got the opportunity to create the artwork for the Year of the Metal Ox Dragon Boat Festival, the organization's first use of the new logo and the first year since Covid shutdowns that the event would be run again. Unfortunately a couple of months before the event launch, they had to cancel and this artwork was never used in posters, social media, on their website, print ads or event tee shirts.
In 2022, things were starting to circle back to normal and CDBF gave me another opportunity to create the artwork for this year's event, the Year of the Water Tiger. For this year's artwork, I channelled the welcoming & good luck virtues of the well recognized Japanese Maneki Neko cat. A raised left paw is said to attract customers and business success, while a raised right paw symbolizes good luck and happiness.
