CrossFit Fredericton

The Logo

We knew that designing the right logo for CrossFit Fredericton would be an incredibly difficult process. We delayed for many years for precisely that reason. But it wasn't until we started that we'd truly learn how difficult it was ...

If we go "abstract" with our design, we could end up with something that is completely meaningless. It's difficult to get behind something that has no meaning or value.

If we go "literal" with our design, we end up with what everyone else has done. Do a search on "gym logo" and you'll find two themes. Some type of weighted object, like a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell. Or someone doing something, like a meathead lifting weights, or the infamous abstract running dude that you see on 99% of gym logos. It doesn't matter if it's drawn differently, it's still the same boring logo.

We didn't know exactly what we wanted, but we did know exactly what we didn't want. No barbell, no running dude, and no arbitrary abstract image. Our gym is different, so our logo needed to reflect that.

We wanted something that represented what we do, but also represented the strength of our community, and our personality. It had to be something that could be worn by everyone. One of our common sentences through this whole process, "We need something that can be worn by Ashley, Clarence, and RJ." The cute girly-girl, the grandparent, and the meathead. Very distinct categories.

After screening multiple companies, we finally found comfort with OrangeSprocket. These guys are NOT your typical "$200-with-two-day-turnaround" logo designers. They are old school, sketching hundreds of ideas by hand to stimulate creativity, narrowing these down to only the best through team brainstorming sessions, creating digital graphics from scratch (no copy and paste for these guys!), presenting these ideas to us in a variety of mediums, and then using our feedback to modify. Rinse, repeat. It's a long difficult process. But they are professionals and worked tirelessly to guide us.

In the end, there was an overwhelming gravitation towards the design you see above. It works in any color, it works at any size, with or without the business name, it passes the napkin-doodle test (ie, simple to draw), it's very distinct, and it means something. The logo may be abstract, but it represents many aspects of what we do. Here are a few:

• The V shape is for Victory. Athletic. Competition.
• The Wing shape is for Speed and Agility.
• The Core shape is for Strength and Power.
• The Shield is for Warrior and Courage.
• Overall it is Sharp, Aggressive, and Direct.

You can also find "threes" for the three check marks on each side:

• training / nutrition / recovery (our approach to fitness and health)
• weightlifting / gymnastics / running (our exercise elements)
• meat / vegetables / nuts (our nutrition elements)
• simplicity / structure / support (our gym atmosphere)
• warm up / strength / conditioning (our daily prescription)

We often say, "What we love about the logo is that we STILL love the logo after all this time." Thanks to our community for being so involved. And thanks to Bill and Jeff at OrangeSprocket for keeping us focused on the prize. :)