• Brand Identity
• 2018

Ariana Wright designed the letter mark logo for Kiya Tomlin’s clothing brand, Kiya. Kiya, based in Pittsburgh, PA, offers flattering, fashionable, and functional clothes for women with real lives and figures. Ariana was introduced to Kiya Tomlin by one of her professors, her graduate school mentor, and fellow artist, Mark Bender. She was ecstatic that she was able to work with another African American woman. She believes there is a strong connection between women working together. When Ariana first sat down with Kiya, she had her write her name multiple times repeatedly using different kinds of mediums such as pens, markers, paint, and more. She wanted to see what type of personality Kiya put into her signature when writing her name. During this process, Ariana noticed that she always put a little circle swoop over the “i” in her name, which is where she drew inspiration.

Ariana had mentioned that this was the project where she learned to trust her gut and intuition. When designing the logo, Ariana felt it was important for Kiya to include her last name Tomlin because it was so recognizable, especially in Pittsburgh. After all, her husband is Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Steelers, and would attract more customers. But, when she presented Kiya with the idea, she was not too fond of it and ultimately said no. Ariana tried to convince her because she knew this was best for the brand, but Kiya would not budge. Years later, Kiya eventually redesigned her logo to include her last name.