Client: Reno, DJ
Role: Logo Designer / Illustrator
Disciplines: Design
The Problem
A DJ’s logo functions as a calling card across everything from record sleeves and social media to stage backdrops and merchandise — it has to carry visual weight and communicate personality in an instant. Reno needed an identity with immediate recognition built in, something that already carried cultural meaning but felt personal and street-level rather than generic or tourist-facing. The brief pointed to the famous Reno archway as a potential reference point, but the challenge was making it feel claimed rather than borrowed.
The Process
I developed the mark around the silhouette of the Reno archway as a recognizable anchor, then layered in custom typography and original illustration to give it an urban sensibility and personal character. The illustrative work was done to transform the landmark from a geographic reference into something with attitude and ownership — a logo that says something specific about who Reno is as an artist, not just where the name comes from. The custom type treatment was integrated to ensure the mark read as a unified identity, not a collage.
The Results
The final logo gave Reno a distinctive, ownable identity that leveraged the cultural recognition of an iconic landmark while feeling completely personal to his brand as a DJ. The custom illustration work elevated it beyond the expected approach, delivering a mark with visual authority across every surface it appeared on.
