The Domestic Alternative Fuels Alliance hired me to create a logo to anchor their new lobbying campaigns in Congress and fundraising campaigns around the country.

I wanted to create a mark with a super clean silhouette that would read at very small scales and low res, and that could convey patriotism without relying on the American flag.

The star-as-counter in the D not only gives emphasis to ‘Domestic’ — a helpful wink to politicians — but reads as ‘flag’ even in black & white.

In color, the subtle waving stripes are unmistakably ‘flag’, but also connote biofuels and farmland — the beneficiaries of the programs DAFA was promoting.

DAFA logo development case study

Just as I was finalizing, DAFA changed their name to DFSG. Happily, and partly because of the solid design thinking I had already invested in the DAFA mark, it was a seamless transition to DFSG, including the client’s request that I bring back the red-white-and-blue and add some patriotic sheen.

Candidly, I find the final DFSG mark feels more like a generic political convention banner than the more unique DAFA logotype, but the client was very happy! What are you gonna do?