Client: Village of Grafton Police Department
Role: Logo Designer
Scope: Logo design, color palette
Year: 2021
Tools: Adobe Illustrator
Role: Logo Designer
Scope: Logo design, color palette
Year: 2021
Tools: Adobe Illustrator
Overview
In early 2021, the Village of Grafton of Wisconsin had no police K9. The newly formed Grafton K9 Foundation set out to change that by partnering with residents and local businesses to raise $100,000 for the department’s first K9 unit, covering the dog, training, veterinary care, and a fully equipped squad car. After working with the Grafton Police Department on its annual reports, I was asked to design the foundation’s logo.
The Challenge
The foundation was asking a small community to fund something it had never had before. The logo would represent it on donation materials, merchandise, and at events, so it had to look established and trustworthy from day one, and feel like it belonged to Grafton.
My Approach
Instead of using generic police imagery, I looked for symbols that already meant something to Grafton residents.
• The “G” grounds the mark in Grafton, Wisconsin.
• The K9 silhouette reflects the foundation’s mission.
• The star references police insignia and represents the start of a K9’s career in service.
• The colors come from Grafton High School, across the street from the police department, so the identity felt familiar from the start.
• The K9 silhouette reflects the foundation’s mission.
• The star references police insignia and represents the start of a K9’s career in service.
• The colors come from Grafton High School, across the street from the police department, so the identity felt familiar from the start.
IN USE
National Night Out
Hoodies
Sendik's Community Grill for K-9 Fundraiser
Logo on Signage
The Result
Community fundraising under this identity brought Maverick, Grafton’s first police K9, into service at the end of 2022. The logo continues to represent the foundation on its website and merchandise as it works toward putting a second K9 in service.
K-9 Maverick