If you're ever in #PontadoOuro, #Mozambique, always remember that the portly fella in the picture came up with the name for this east coast trade route #east3ROUTE before Seychelles got involved. I conceptualised the name for this trade route in 2011 when there were only 3 locations involved. Seychelles was included at around 2014/15. That being said, in 2015 I visited the Mozambican beach town of Ponta do Ouro, and was quite surprised to find that the local market was partially named after the trade route name I came up with.
This was a brief that landed on my desk at 8:30 am, with a deadline of 2:30 pm the same day. It is what we called a suicide deadline at the agency(I used to work for), which was fairly common for us in dealing with clients from government.
My art director partner and I had to conceptualise a brand/name/logo for a trade route initiative that was in proposal. I felt fairly proud with the name that I came up with, but even more so proud of my art director, Kamalasen Padayachee, for designing this beautiful logo that married our two thoughts together so brilliantly in such a short space of time.
My initial point of departure in 2011, when conceptualising the name 'east3ROUTE', was to use the three locations, which were #KwaZuluNatal, #Swaziland, and #Mozambique (Seychelles joined 2014/15) in a way that showed history, culture and roots, connecting these three closely related places on the Southern East Coast of #Africa.
Playing with words and variations, I struck upon this combination. Now if you say 'East3', it does sound off 'history'. And then if you say it in tandem with route, it does allure to 'history route' whilst still retaining the essence of the 3, which being key at the time for the three locations. Alternatively, the name also lends itself to sound out, East 'tree root'. That being said, however clever I was trying to be, our client loved it, it now lives, and that is history. Also, I am just glad as a #SouthAfrican I could contribute a bit of word play to to our bit of Africa.
*Please note that the images I have chose is used to show how the logo was then taken through and utilised in various other communication collateral and elements by client with various other agencies. Neither me, nor my former art director partner, or ad agency played a part in the usage of the logo or brand after it was conceived.
