My daughters hate snakes. And spiders for that matter, but where wildlife is concerned, pretty much anything else gets them excited. Especially elephants and giraffes – they love those. And that was the motivating factor in us entering an online competition to design a new logo and strapline for Zambia.
There was no strategic brief or promise of an unlimited budget or ongoing account – just the chance of a trip to Zambia, to see some elephants. And that was good enough for us. Time for Team Buckley to get creative on a wet Saturday in February, armed only with pens, paper, and some haribo star mix.

Beth and Ella
Without much of a brief the only way we could tackle this was from a tourists point of view. What would be on our list of things we’d like to see? What would make us consider Zambia as a destination? Firstly, we’d want to know this was the real africa, undeveloped and authentic, that it is accessible and safe – and of course that we’d see elephants.

So what does Zambia have to offer? Victoria Falls (or Mosi-o-Tunya – the Smoke that Thunders) is the countries premium tourist destination. The world’s largest waterfalls are situated on the Zambezi River and are recognised as one of the seven natural wonders of the world – how many countries can boast they have one of those? Of course there are many fantastic safaris too, like the South Luangwa National Park – one of Africa’s finest, as well as loads of adrenaline sports and game reserves you can visit. As well as the abundant wildlife there’s a rich and diverse cultural heritage. All very real, effortlessly genuine and wonderfully natural.
Which gave us our first strapline idea. Zambia – Naturally Wonderful.
Now for the logo and back to that cultural heritage. I really wanted to focus on the craft of traditional African carving and how it was used as a story telling medium. Talented craftsmen and artists would use what they could find around them, wood, stone or copper to visualise their life. Everything from traditional ceremonies to family, animals and the Zambian landscape.

Mood board
I thought it appropriate to pay tribute to this rich tradition within the logo in order to give it an authentic look and feel. The first option features a carved emblem which has a ‘Z’ at the heart of it and is also made up of 9 separate pieces, representing the 9 provinces that make up Zambia. This ‘coming together’ of elements reflects modern Zambias ethnic and tribal diversity and collective harmony.

Initial sketches

Identity

Strapline

Logo variants

Application
Another of Beth’s ideas was ‘Live like an animal in Zambia’ which I really liked. Everything Zambia has to offer is all about life experience, wether you are visiting Victoria Falls, Kayaking down the Zambezi or camping out on a safari, it’s all about living life to the full and being at one with nature. Wherever you are in Zambia, the surroundings really are alive. Alive with passion and energy. Alive with history and colour. Alive with natural beauty.
So our second strapline option is, Zambia – Where nature lives.
The second logo design uses a visually strong typeface to represent Zambian craftsmanship. This typeface has an almost carved feel unyet still looks contemporary and stylish. The bright, positive colours mirror the national flag, a source of great pride for Zambians.

Identity

Strapline

Logo variants

Application 1

Application 2
So there they are, two ideas all the way from Northwich to Zambia. Thanks to Beth and Ella for all your enthusiasm, hopefully we’ll get some good feedback, if not we’ll definitely go to the zoo.
