A boat name with deeper ties
One Eleven is the name of my brother’s boat. It’s also the number of the classroom where my dad taught graphic arts at Emmaus High School for 37 years. The name One Eleven pays tribute to my dad and the person that he was, and I am deeply honored that my brother asked me to design the logo.
I wanted the logo to feel a little bit retro, since my dad did things the old-school way. To that end, I took some cues from the lettering on the covers of Sanborn fire insurance maps, which I have always admired. I love that someone invested time and effort to make something so utilitarian and practical so stunningly beautiful.
Even with all its serifs and swashes, the One Eleven logo needed to stay legible and bold, since it would ultimately be applied to the back of the boat and be seen both up close and at a distance. My dad loved to fly fish and always wore a hat, so it seemed fitting to include them as illustrations in the logo. When my mom passed away in 2023, we added a pair of Eastern Bluebirds to remember that as much as we miss them, they are back together now.
I sketched this by hand and then created the vector file in Illustrator using the pen tool. We then used the vector file to have a large-scale vinyl decal cut for the back of the boat, along with screen printed shirts, hats and other cool gear.
