Zebra Collective Logo
Prize(s):
Honorable Mention 2026 Print & Digital / Corporate Identity
Lead Designer(s) Name(s):Baynham Goredema
Client Name:Zebra Collective
Project Location:USA
Design Status:Commercialized
Project Description:
Zebra Collective brings together Michael Gould, a percussion professor at the University of Michigan, and Masimba Hwati, a Zimbabwean artist working in sculpture, sound, and performance. The two met in Berlin in 2022 while working on the Nyami Nyami project with TanzTangente, and have been collaborating ever since. Their work draws on the legend of Nyami Nyami, the river spirit of the Zambezi, to explore how the Kariba Dam changed the lives of the Tonga people and the river itself. Through live performance, sculpture, and sound, they look at the ties between people, nature, and memory. The logo developed for the collective — a Z icon built from wave-like stripes — captures all of this in a single mark. It references zebra patterns, flowing water, and sound vibrations at once.
Zebra Collective brings together Michael Gould, a percussion professor at the University of Michigan, and Masimba Hwati, a Zimbabwean artist working in sculpture, sound, and performance. The two met in Berlin in 2022 while working on the Nyami Nyami project with TanzTangente, and have been collaborating ever since. Their work draws on the legend of Nyami Nyami, the river spirit of the Zambezi, to explore how the Kariba Dam changed the lives of the Tonga people and the river itself. Through live performance, sculpture, and sound, they look at the ties between people, nature, and memory. The logo developed for the collective — a Z icon built from wave-like stripes — captures all of this in a single mark. It references zebra patterns, flowing water, and sound vibrations at once.
Project Innovation / Specification:
The Zebra Collective identity represents an innovative fusion of conceptual depth and visual economy. The primary Z icon encodes multiple referential layers: zebra striations evoke the collective's name and symbolism of collaboration between distinct voices; fluid wave-like lines suggest both the Zambezi's current and acoustic vibration. The Zebra Score motif further extends the brand into pattern and performance contexts, enabling the identity to function as both mark and artwork. The system's deliberate restraint ensures legibility across all scales.
The Zebra Collective identity represents an innovative fusion of conceptual depth and visual economy. The primary Z icon encodes multiple referential layers: zebra striations evoke the collective's name and symbolism of collaboration between distinct voices; fluid wave-like lines suggest both the Zambezi's current and acoustic vibration. The Zebra Score motif further extends the brand into pattern and performance contexts, enabling the identity to function as both mark and artwork. The system's deliberate restraint ensures legibility across all scales.
Project Sustainability Approach:
The logo is provided in vector formats that scale without losing quality — from a small badge to a full exhibition wall. A clear set of guidelines protects the look over time, making sure it isn't stretched, recoloured, or changed in ways that weaken it. The main typeface, Fira Sans, is free to download from Google Fonts, so there are no ongoing costs as the collective grows and brings in new partners. The two-colour palette keeps printing simple and affordable. And because the system is modular — icon, wordmark, and pattern — it can be used flexibly across different projects without needing a designer every time.
The logo is provided in vector formats that scale without losing quality — from a small badge to a full exhibition wall. A clear set of guidelines protects the look over time, making sure it isn't stretched, recoloured, or changed in ways that weaken it. The main typeface, Fira Sans, is free to download from Google Fonts, so there are no ongoing costs as the collective grows and brings in new partners. The two-colour palette keeps printing simple and affordable. And because the system is modular — icon, wordmark, and pattern — it can be used flexibly across different projects without needing a designer every time.
Local and Regional Impacts of the Project:
The identity positions the project for meaningful impact across local and regional arts ecosystems. By centering the Zambezi, the Tonga people, and the Nyami Nyami mythology within a globally legible design language, the collective can engage art institutions, museums, and cultural funding bodies across Southern Africa, Europe, and North America. The brand communicates artistic rigour and cultural specificity, building credibility with interdisciplinary and ecological arts audiences. Locally, the identity affirms Zimbabwean artistic heritage within international contemporary art discourse.
The identity positions the project for meaningful impact across local and regional arts ecosystems. By centering the Zambezi, the Tonga people, and the Nyami Nyami mythology within a globally legible design language, the collective can engage art institutions, museums, and cultural funding bodies across Southern Africa, Europe, and North America. The brand communicates artistic rigour and cultural specificity, building credibility with interdisciplinary and ecological arts audiences. Locally, the identity affirms Zimbabwean artistic heritage within international contemporary art discourse.
Lead Designer(s) Name(s):Baynham Goredema
