Be my Buddy

2023

Darmstadt, Germany

inspiration

The identity for "Be My Buddy"—a mentoring initiative by the Deutsch-Syrischer Verein—draws conceptual inspiration from iconic cartoonist Randy Glasbergen. His humorous single-panel illustrations frequently feature character-filled dialogue and thought bubbles that highlight distinct personal perspectives coming together. This emphasis on human connection, diverse viewpoints, and open communication provided the perfect creative spark. The project needed a core visual theme capable of expressing dialogue, mutual understanding, and shared experience across cultures, serving as an approachable foundation for a community mentorship brand.

initial sketches & brainstorming

The design process began with an extensive exploration of conversational symbols. Initial pencil studies focused on speech bubbles, thought clouds, dialogue spikes, and overlapping enclosures of various shapes and sizes. By testing circular, rectangular, dynamic, and dashed communication forms, the sketch page captures the energy of multiple voices interacting at once. This brainstorming phase aimed to distill complex human interaction—mentors and mentees sharing guidance, questions, and ideas—into a clean, unified geometry that feels both welcoming and expressive.

logo mark & typography

The final emblem translates those dynamic conversational sketches into two overlapping speech bubbles. The overlapping shapes feature translucent color layers that interact to create additional geometric segments, visually symbolizing shared dialogue and common ground. Below the mark, clean sans-serif typography spells out Be my Buddy, accompanied by the encouraging German tagline: "Gemeinsam durch den Alltagsdschungel in Deutschland!" (Together through the everyday jungle in Germany!). The warm curves of the speech bubbles establish an inviting, supportive visual signature for the program.

vibrant color palette

To express plurality, inclusivity, and community diversity, the brand uses a rich spectrum of 13 distinct hues. The palette combines warm ambers, burnt oranges, golden yellows, and terracotta reds with cool slate blues, muted teal, olive greens, and soft dusty purples. When overlaid within the translucent speech bubbles, these varied tones blend naturally to form new intermediate shades. This expansive color harmony celebrates individual differences while demonstrating how unique backgrounds come together to build a vibrant, cohesive support network.

promotional flyers

To reach prospective mentors and mentees across the community, I designed a series of informative tri-fold flyers. The layout features engaging lifestyle photography paired with bold speech-bubble callouts like "1:1 Mentoring – Sei dabei!" (1:1 Mentoring – Join in!) and targeted headers for "BE-BUDDY" or "BE-MENTEE". Clear typography, clean white space, and integrated QR codes make event details and contact information for the Deutsch-Syrischer Verein easily accessible, ensuring an approachable print layout that invites community participation

community poster design

Extending the brand system to large-format print, the promotional poster uses a prominent visual hierarchy to capture attention in public spaces. Bright lime green callout sections organize key program details, outline specific participant benefits, and highlight eligibility requirements for young newcomers. The "Be My Buddy" logo sits at the top while official partner logos anchor the bottom margin. The result is a welcoming, highly readable poster that effectively communicates the program's empowering mission across local community centers and educational venues.