Event Identity
Dallas Zoo Lights
Role: Logo Design | Client: Dallas Zoo Deliverables: Event logo, PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL, scalable brand asseTS
OVERVIEW
Zoo Lights is an annual holiday event at the Dallas Zoo that transforms the zoo into a nighttime light experience for families. The event needed a logo that felt festive and seasonal while still clearly belonging to the Dallas Zoo brand are remaining secular.
The goal was to create a playful, recognizable mark that could work across signage, digital promotion, merchandise, and event materials.
The Challenge
The Zoo Lights event required a festive logo that remained clearly connected to the Dallas Zoo’s existing brand identity.
The design needed to:
Appeal to all ages, from children to adults
Feel holiday-inspired without religious symbolism
Maintain visual continuity with the Dallas Zoo identity
Work across digital marketing, merchandise, and signage
Extending the Zoo Brand
To maintain a clear connection to the parent brand, elements from the Dallas Zoo logo were incorporated into the event mark, including the giraffe silhouette used as the light bulb filament—positioning the logo as a natural extension of the zoo’s identity rather than a standalone campaign.
LOGo DESIGN
The final mark combines a stylized lightbulb motif with elements of the Dallas Zoo identity to create a playful event logo.
Seasonal Color Palette
The palette combines festive holiday tones with colors from the Dallas Zoo brand, creating a seasonal identity that remains inclusive and recognizable. The multicolored scheme mirrors the vibrant light installations featured throughout the Zoo Lights event.
Playful Asymmetry
Subtle asymmetry was introduced to give the mark a playful, energetic character. The resulting imbalance adds movement and helps the logo feel approachable and family-friendly, reflecting the lively and inclusive atmosphere of the event.
Process
Applications
The logo was designed to scale across a variety of touch points used to promote the event including:
Event signage
Social media graphics
Promotional materials
Merchandise
Outcome
The final logo establishes a festive identity for Zoo Lights while remaining clearly connected to the Dallas Zoo brand. Its playful structure and seasonal palette reflect the joyful, family-friendly atmosphere of the event.
The event attracted over 1 million visitors in 2022, and the logo continues to be used in subsequent years.
