Rebels fighting governments do not usually wear the uniforms of regular troops but rather generic fatigues or civilian clothes, often with global brands like Nike or Adidas writ large. Free Syrian Army (FSA) Northern Border Commander Abu Hayder had a better idea. He commissioned 28-year-old Sedat Akpinar, a young Turkish graphic designer from the small border town of Kilis in Turkey, to design its new logo. Read what YaLibnan recently reported:
Once he had approved the final mock-up, the FSA Commander instructed Mr Akpinar to print 300 stickers with the new logo, each with a different number, to act as number plates for his army’s vehicles and thus make them easily identifiable. The printing had to be done on the spot: Mr Hayder was returning to Syria that day and wanted to take the new stickers with him. But he assured Mr Akpinar that he would return shortly to order black T-shirts and baseball caps embossed with the new logo. “If we take Aleppo we want all the fighters in our brigade to look the same when we enter the town and this would be a cheap, efficient way of producing a uniform,” he explained.
Mr. Akpinar runs a small print and design shop—something akin to a Kinko’s in the U.S. His brief was to create an identity that would allow the FSA to present itself as a legitimate entity with trappings of statehood, capable of looking to the future with confidence. The FSA’s motto, ننتصر أو نموت (Victory or Death), is offset by a spirited graphic. It is not clear, however, whether the new logo (top) replaces the old one (bottom) with the smaller eagle or why it was necessary to redesign in the first place. For more read the Guardian here.
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