Image of the Week: Birth Totem
© D. Yael Bernhard
Before the recession of 2008, I used to receive several commissions each year to design original logos. Logos were usually one-color, flat designs, like a stamp or a seal. In recent years this kind of work has diminished. People are increasingly able to find predesigned graphics online – and these days, professionals are more likely to hand out QR codes or URLs than business cards or brochures.
Birth Totem is one such logo that I created back in 2006. It's not a typical logo in that it's a full-color illustration. My client, a doula (birth and postpartum assistant for new mothers) from the suburbs of New York City, hailed from the native American tradition, and wanted her animal allies depicted in her logo: the eagle, the bear, and the wolf. I believe this woman had seen my work years earlier on the cover of an esoteric magazine called Shaman's Drum. I had a fleeting interest in shamanism in my earlier years which emerged from my studies of world mythology. Among certain indigenous, earth-centered cultures, shamans were healers who communed with animal spirits by using "sacred technologies" – fasting, trance induction, or psychedelics. Traveling thus, the shaman could allegedly enter a parallel reality in which animal allies would provide guidance, healing, and power. If a shaman adhered to a particular animal spirit, that animal became the shaman's totem. My client, apparently, had three of them.
It all sounded very mysterious and intriguing to a budding artist like myself. Books about prehistoric shamanic cultures such as Reindeer Moon and Clan of the Cave Bear captured my imagination. Paintings of imaginary animal totems soon emerged in my art, incorporating elements of primitive and tribal designs. I also loved the bold and naive figures found in cave paintings, teepee paintings, and rock paintings. It was this body of work that was ultimately displayed in the magazine, and to which my client responded.
She knew exactly what she wanted: a birthing woman surrounded by her animal allies. Other than symbolizing protection, I wasn't sure what these animals had to do with her work as a doula – but I was sure she knew, and that was enough. After all, what brings us closer to our animal nature than giving birth? The strength and courage of these fierce predators, even if imaginary, could certainly be useful to any new mother. My client herself seemed to exude a certain power. I got the feeling she also wrestled with a dark side within herself – but I didn't hear her story, and wasn't sure I wanted to. My job was to bring her vision into form, not to analyze it.
Note the three phases of light in the background sky: daytime, night, and the transition in between. The whole composition is meant to be cyclical, connected to nature. I created it by drawing the three animals and the woman separately on tracing paper, cutting the drawings out and sliding them around on a sheet of white paper until the animals formed a harmonious trio around the birthing woman. The protrusion of the eagle's wing outside the border developed spontaneously, and formed a nice design element for the business card.
You can view more examples of logos I've designed here.
A good week to all!
D Yael Bernhard
http://dyaelbernhard.com
children's books • fine art • illustration