Behind the Mark: Revisiting the Real Sources Africa IdentityBehind the Mark: Revisiting the Real Sources Africa Identity
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Raymond Meho's avatar
Raymond Meho Wahome
• Oct 14
From the Archives 001 — Real Sources Africa: Behind the Mark.
Sometimes revisiting old work reveals more about how you thought than what you eventually designed.
Real Sources Africa was a Pan-African B2B marketplace project I worked on in 2022–2023.
The challenge was developing a visual identity that could communicate the organisation's African origins while establishing a distinctive, recognizable mark.
I began exploring the relationship between the letters R and S, alongside references to Africa's geographical form. Through several sketches and iterations, those ideas gradually became an abstract monogram.
One detail I particularly enjoy revisiting is the construction of the R. I tilted it approximately 23.227°, referencing the Tropic of Capricorn and the geographical relationship I was exploring.
The S developed into a curved, spring-like form intended to represent a source or point of origin. The lower curve also introduced a smile, reflecting the organisation's aspiration to build customer satisfaction and trust.
These were intentional design decisions, not claims that every viewer would immediately recognize those meanings. The resulting mark became the foundation for a broader identity system, including typography, colour, brand guidelines, digital applications, and merchandise.
Looking at it today, there are things I'd approach differently.
I'd pay closer attention to optical balance, simplify parts of the symbol, and question whether every embedded reference contributes meaningfully to recognition and usability.
But I also appreciate the curiosity behind the original exploration.
The identity was developed and handed over, although it was never implemented by the client. So I can't claim any measurable market impact.
What I can examine is the thinking, the decisions, and what I've learned since. A symbol can carry meaning by design. Whether people perceive that meaning is another question entirely.
And that's a distinction I find increasingly important.
Still observing. Still questioning. Still making.
Mean Something. ♠️
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