Overview
CyborgCamp is an event concocted by Portlanders interested in discussing the relationship between man and machine, the organic and synthetic. Speakers included Ziba Design’s Bill DeRouchey, real-life cyborg Lia Hollander and inventor of the wiki Ward Cunningham.
Because the event was driven by a community of volunteers and enthusiasts, we decided to design the logo as openly and transparently as we possibly could. Following a couple introductory sketches and an initial jam session (photo at right by Mark Colman), logo progress was posted on Flickr and the CyborgCamp wiki, and announced to volunteers via Twitter. Everyone was invited to offer their opinions and advice regarding what direction the mark would finally take.
My role shifted back-and-forth between designer and mediator as I attempted to navigate differing opinions and build the best solution possible. The result was something that volunteers and attendees could take pride and ownership in (and did, based on the number of logo-bearing buttons emblazoned on jackets and messenger bags).
In an interview with CyborgCamp founder Amber Case, Acclimedia founder and CEO Gennefer Snowfield had this to say:
I was completely blown away by the logo [Tyler Sticka] designed for CyborgCamp. It’s absolutely brilliant in its simplicity and manages to effectively juxtapose the human and machine elements in a meaningful — and engaging — way. Talk about stopping power.
Bram Pitoyo and other volunteers assisted in the final type treatment, which is a combination of Apex New and Avenir.
CyborgCamp button photograph by @reidab.