by Jacqui Dawson.
When Talaria Global Health came to The Content Crew looking for a brand identity package, they had not yet decided on a name for their podiatric practice focused start-up. After some internal discussion and with the help of our brainstorming team, they settled on the name Talaria — the winged sandals worn by the Greek messenger god Hermes (and his Roman equivalent, Mercury). The name derives from the Latin for “of the ankle.”
The symbolism here derives not just from the fact that podiatrists treat feet and feet wear sandals, but also from the fact that Hermes/Mercury carries the caduceus (an item which has mistakenly become a symbol of medicine instead of the proper Rod of Asclepius) and is known variably as the god of commerce, trade, travel, sports, and athletes.
Once the name had been determined, it was time to begin on the logo and brand design. A palette of blues and blue-greens was requested and a symbolic graphic link to the name Talaria as well as the profession of podiatry needed to be forged into an attractive memorable logo.
The challenge here was to come up with an image that portrayed a winged foot/sandal without being too prosaic or too realistic. People can get a little uncomfortable about feet so some classic poetic beauty was called for. We explored some fluid designs that blended the varying shades of color in a series of ribbons that became both foot and sandal in one, while also giving the impression of forward movement. The wide extended sans serif font for the word Talaria also grounded the name with a clean modern classic feel.
