Texas Film Commission

Since its creation in 1971, the Texas Film Commission has maintained local and national recognition built on a solid reputation of quality service to the media production industries. Under the broad direction of the Commissioner and Marketing Director, I initiated the creative process by first researching existing film commission logos in Texas and competing markets. I quickly recognized I had to avoid cliché Texas iconography and prevent the new brand from looking too stereotypical. I used a classic star and the shape of the state for my primary iconic inspiration.

Saul Bass

I have been a fan of Saul Bass and his design work in title sequences and branding since first studying his work for my college thesis. Inspired by integrating these two design genres, I constructed a new symbol for the agency from abstracted film strips into the shape of Texas.

Base Blue

I was selecting the color and font for the combination mark balanced organic and traditional. The Film Commission’s previous logos primarily used black and white, so adding color was a priority. My research yielded blue as synonymous with Texas—wide open spaces bound by blue skies for miles. I learned that the state seal’s light blue background also referenced the Texas sky. Rather than replicate a light blue or cyan, I chose a bolder but still traditional tone that would work best across print and digital media.

When exploring fonts, I strived to find a font that would complement the chunky curves of the Texas-shaped symbol. I turned to classic cinema for inspiration—the Texas Theater in Bronte. I was specifically drawn to the curved A in Texas, which provided a compliment I sought for the symbol. One of my favorite type foundries, Emigre, had the perfect font family with a curved A. Base 9 was the right combination of freshness and nostalgia, fitting for a state agency that represents both government and the creative industries it serves.

Marketing Potential

Promotional materials are crucial to the film industry, and the office needed a strong symbol for use on several different types of media. Since its inception, the symbol has been printed onto tiny film buttons, shaped into thumb drives, plastered on banners, and etched into water bottles. The symbol transitioned well into digital media and websites and created a unique avatar for social media.