Shape + Spirit: Rediscovering Creativity Through Pictorial Logos

The best way to fall back in love with design isn’t to stare at a blank screen until inspiration magically arrives. It isn’t scrolling endlessly through Dribbble, or hunting for the next “big” brand concept that looks like everyone else’s. The truth is much simpler, and often forgotten: you get back into design by making something small, intentionally, without the pressure of perfection.

This week’s prompt is exactly that kind of practice.
It is simple enough to begin immediately, yet meaningful enough to reawaken your instincts:

Choose a shape. Choose an animal.
Combine them to create a pictorial logo.

A triangle and a fox.
A circle and a koi.
A square and a hawk.
A pentagon and a beetle.
A hexagon and a bear.

There are no “wrong” pairings. There are only observations—what emerges when you sharpen your eyes and let creativity move back through your hands.

Rediscovering Art When You Feel Rusty

A lot of designers and artists end up in the same quiet slump. You’ve been busy, you’ve been tired, you’ve been doomscrolling or job searching or simply trying to maintain momentum in life. Your creativity has moved into the background—not because you aren’t talented, but because you haven’t given yourself space to play.

You open Illustrator, Procreate, or a fresh sketchbook and your mind immediately panics:
What should I make?
Will this be portfolio-worthy?
Is this going to look stupid?
Do I still know how to do this?

That mindset kills momentum faster than lack of inspiration ever could.

This prompt is the opposite of that anxiety.
You’re not designing a brand for a real client.
You’re not solving a marketing brief.
You’re not trying to impress a potential employer.

You’re just training your eye again—like stretching before a workout. You are returning to shape, silhouette, negative space, form, rhythm. You are returning to the roots of visual identity.

A pictorial logo is not decoration.
It is storytelling through shape.

The Shape Is the Skeleton

Every animal logo begins as a composition of forms. Some designers start with sketches, some begin with geometry, but eventually all strong logo marks circle back to this universal truth:

The shape you choose sets the tone before the animal ever appears.

Think about it:

• A circle is friendly, continuous, harmonious, calm.

• A triangle is forward, sharp, directional, energetic.

• A square is steady, grounded, dependable.

• A diamond is refined, elegant, aspirational.

• A hexagon is balanced, efficient, collaborative, structured.

Before you draw even one ear or one paw, your brain already feels something.
A circle says “gentle.”
A triangle says “pursuit.”
A hexagon says “system.”

That emotional signal becomes the frame your animal must live within. It forces restraint. It forces clarity. It forces you to think like a designer again, instead of a digital illustrator.

The Animal Is the Spirit

Animals carry archetypes. Whether we realize it or not, they occupy mental space in culture and mythology.

A fox is cunning.
A lion is regal.
A raven is observant.
A deer is alert.
A hawk is fearless.
A bear is enduring.

It doesn’t matter if the animal is rendered realistically or in three simplified strokes. We feel their symbolic power almost instantly.

When you combine your chosen shape with your chosen animal, you’re not simply merging forms—you’re merging message + instinct.

You’re asking a powerful visual question:

How much can I remove and still say the truth?

Design isn’t a game of addition.
It is a discipline of subtraction.

The Example I Started With

To kick off your own exploration this week, let’s take an example I chose when preparing this prompt:

The hexagon and the bear.

Not because it’s better than the others, and not because there’s only one correct approach. It’s simply a demonstration of how the prompt works.

A hexagon isn’t decorative. It’s a symbol of structure, logic, and natural efficiency. Bees use it to build honeycombs because it is the most stable method of storing energy. Snowflakes fracture into hexagonal geometry. Many crystals grow that way.

A bear is instinct, resilience, survival, hibernation, strength.

One shape is calm, pragmatic order.
One animal is primordial instinct.

When the two overlap, your brain suddenly begins arranging meaning.
You don’t have to draw fur or claws.
You don’t even need realism.
The challenge becomes: How do I let the animal emerge from the shape without breaking its integrity?

Maybe it’s a bear head forming the hexagon’s negative space.
Maybe it’s a walking bear pressed into the shape like a stamp.
Maybe the hexagon is the body, and you place ears and muzzle at its edges.
Maybe you slice the geometry to suggest weight and motion.

The beauty of this exercise is that it works no matter which pair you choose.

The Process

Start with the shape first.
It must be clean.
Not sketchy, not textured, not pressured.

Let it sit in the middle of the page like a container.

Then choose your animal—not because it’s trendy or popular, but because it speaks to you. The moment you do, your mind will begin to hunt for gesture:

What is the silhouette?
What is unmistakable?
What makes it that animal?

You will begin to see patterns.

A fox’s tail is enough.
A whale’s curve is enough.
An owl’s eyes are enough.
A bull’s horns are enough.
A bear’s muzzle and ears are enough.

You don’t need everything.
You just need the identity.

Why This Prompt Matters

It’s easy to forget this when you’ve fallen out of practice: creative confidence is not built by producing masterpieces. It is built by producing something, then producing something else.

These shape–animal explorations do two important things:

1. They reset your visual instincts.
You begin thinking in silhouettes, not details.
You stop decorating and start designing.

2. They rebuild momentum.
You finish work.
You experiment.
You let yourself make drafts that are not perfect, because the goal is learning, not showcasing.

And something magical happens:
You start to feel like a designer again.

Your Prompt

Choose a shape.
Choose an animal.
Make them one.

Let the animal breathe through the form.
Let the form constrain the animal.

Don’t run from mistakes.
Don’t redraw every single stroke.

Play.

This is the kind of exercise that doesn’t just give you a logo—it gives you your curiosity back. It’s a reminder that creativity is not something you “get back” by waiting. You reclaim it by participating in it.

A Quiet Encouragement

You’re not behind.
You’re simply paused.

You don’t have to be better than yesterday.
You don’t have to impress anyone.

You just have to start.

When you’re sketching, you are already returning to yourself.

If you’re looking to get deeper into brand identity, or you’d like help turning these kinds of logo explorations into full visual systems, I do this professionally. I help creators, nonprofits, independent businesses, and small brands find their visual voice—simple icons that reflect who they are at the core. If you’d like to see how I approach branding or explore some of my past work, you can find me at zachsummers.net. When you’re ready, I’d love to help you create something you’re proud of.