Provided by Client

At first, the new name was going to be something else which we pursued as a first project. Then, they decided to go back to their original name, but with a new visual identity. Their old image was a sculpture of the goddess Athena. They didn’t really care for it, or the overly ‘Greek’ style that they had before.

Research

Gold discovery was new to me, so I had lots of questions! My client shared many interesting academic articles about subterranean gold veins are found and what the geological factors are. I researched the geographical environment with photos that they sent to me (high desert Nevada). I looked at the landscape, trees, shrubs, and rocks. I looked at ancient Greek pottery and design and liked the simple, negative space use of the gold, black, and clay. I investigated the creatures that lived there – particularly under the ground. With the addition of “Athena,” I researched in depth about who she was, why she was important, and what she represented. I learned SO many interesting things! Additionally, we talked at length about their values as a business.

Insights

I could write an essay about what I learned, but suffice it to say, that I uncovered that she is often adorned with gold, feathers, and is often symbolized as, or with, an owl or bird of prey. Athena is known to be thought of as wise and able to seek what is hard to find. GOLD! Also, she was on the historial mid-1800s California coat of arms alongside the bear! Did you know that? I didn’t until I researched. The banner above her head was “EUREKA!” GOLD! The name really was perfect. Some sources say that she literally could ‘be a bird’, not just accompanied with a bird (thus the feathers.) She is a symbol of wisdom, good counsel, and insight. These are all things that Athena Gold honors – wise, prudent, searching with integrity and strategy. This led me to owls. In particular, the ‘burrowing owl’ which – you guessed it, lives in a hole under the ground! They are found in the same geographical zone. It was a perfect fit. After many sketches and variations, they found the logo that they loved. The resulting logo is the striking ‘A’ in Athena with the black owl seeking for its prize to form the rest of the letter. The gold represents the ‘veins’ in the dark earth, and the shape of the ‘A’ itself is representative of the rocky, rugged mountains and hills of the area. Simple black and gold colors harken back to ancient Greek times in a classic fashion.