Harry Chapin was a legendary singer-songwriter and humanitarian, who produced 11 albums and 14 hit singles before he was killed in a car accident in 1981. Still well-remembered by fans more than 30 years later, his songs “Taxi” and “Cat’s in the Cradle” are considered classics. Moreover, his philanthropy earned him a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal, and several of his charity organizations (including the Harry Chapin Foundation) are still active today. To better memorialize his legacy, the family of Harry Chapin turned to the team at Kworq for a rebranding and a redesigned website.
Drawing inspiration from the aesthetics of 1960s and 1970s New York, such as the work of Herb Lubalin and Push Pin Studios, we worked on a modern logo that can embody Harry’s iconic status as well as the time and work he is best-remembered for.
Harry Chapin’s existing site served as a hub for Harry’s family photos and a functional store for his merchandise, and while very bare bones it did become a vital destination for his online fan community. We helped them transition to a Shopify site to facilitate a better store experience, but also built out a new gallery system along with an interactive timeline to elevate its function as a memorial to his life and work.
After an initial research phase where we narrowed down the reference points and the aesthetic, Kworq presented 3 directions for Harry Chapin’s rebrand. The first was a monogram of his initials that referenced both a clef and a guitar. Second was a portrait to emphasize his iconic status. Third was a profile which stylized his recognizable hairstyle, based on an illustration by Milton Glaser for one of Harry’s album covers.
