The Women's Bandura Ensemble is one of the first full ensembles for women playing the Ukrainian traditional instrumental, bandura, in North America. Traditionally played by men, the bandura is a large instrument with approximately 52 strings. As a founding member of the ensemble I also am primarily responsible for our branding, and am often in a dual role as both musician and designer.
My initial project with the ensemble involved the creation of our logo. It was important to emphasize both the femaleness of the group as well as the instrument played, and in the creation of the logo I decided to include both the silhouette of the instrument and a woman’s face. The branding highlights women playing the instrument, as well as a recurring motif of flowers and plants, which symbolize growth and the expansion of outdated traditions.
