As the city reopens, Shepard Fairey and Andy Cruz collaborate on a new logo for Los Angeles Tourism

Graphic artist Shepard Fairey, most known for his 1996 artwork Obey Giant and his 2008 Obama Hope portrait, has collaborated with his longtime friend, art director Andy Cruz, on a new logo for the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. As part of its Your Comeback Starts Here ad campaign, and coinciding with the city’s rise from the ashes following tourism’s “lost year”, the board invited Shepard’s company Studio Number One and Andy’s company House Industries to help it stage its comeback. They united to create a new brand identity for Los Angeles Tourism that includes a fresh logo, iconography, and colours, giving it an eye-catching revamp that was just in time for the city’s reopening on 15 June.

“When you say ‘Los Angeles’ it doesn’t necessarily mean just a city. It’s a whole mindset, a vibe, a culture, and as an Angeleno, it was exciting to me to take on the creative challenge of designing a mark representing all of the things that Los Angeles means to people,” says Shepard. “On that creative path, I worked with my team at Studio Number One, and the inspiring cool factory that is House Industries led by my friend Andy Cruz. We all dug deep into L.A. culture and came up with a great solution that we feel embraces the spirit and optimism of L.A.”

The new logo features a sun motif that speaks to the idea that everyone is welcome in Los Angeles, whilst also serving as a nod to the city’s iconic architecture (think the Hollywood Bowl, the Cinerama Dome etc.). This sits above a brush stroke that acts as an abstract reference to the ocean and represents notions of creativity and self-expression – values that lie at the heart of L.A. culture. The colours mimic the sky above the city, as it transitions from sunrise to sunset, moving from sunburst yellow to sunset orange to a dusky teal. As a whole, the logo is intended to capture L.A.’s “vibrant history, diversity, culture and lifestyle”, as well as the “optimistic spirit of Angelenos”.

“The history of iconic signage and inspired typography created in L.A. is as diverse and unique as its people. The chance to wonder-twin House Industries and Studio Number One is something Shepard Fairey and I have been waiting years to activate — and it happened in the form of the new Los Angeles logo,” says Andy. “Distilling that potion of influence into a mark that honours the past but feels new is something all the artists at House and SNO took personally.”