Case study · Speak Freely

Speak Freely

A badge-style podcast logo for Permission to Speak Freely with Damo & Damon, two hosts serving in the U.S. military, built to work on merch from day one.

Year
2020
Navy mug printed with the white Permission to Speak Freely podcast badge logo with an anchor

01 — Context

Podcast logo design with a personal back-story

Permission to Speak Freely is a podcast hosted by Damo & Damon, who are both serving in the U.S. military. They came to us for a logo that would bolster their image and message, and carry a taste of that shared back-story without turning the show into a military brand.

Our podcast logo design took its cue from the title itself. "Permission to speak freely" is a phrase with military roots, so we leaned into classic, service-inspired forms: a circular badge, an all-caps serif and a small anchor at the centre as a quiet nod to the hosts' service. The result is part of our branding and identity design work at its most focused — one mark, done well. Podcast artwork is usually seen tiny, in a grid of other shows, so every element had to survive at thumbnail size.

02 — A mark that flexes

One badge for artwork, merch and more

"SPEAK FREELY" sits at the centre in large serif capitals, with "Permission to" and "Damon & Damo" curved around the ring and a small "Est. 2020" above. Two sparkles flank the anchor below. Everything fits inside a double circle, so the logo works as a podcast cover tile, a social avatar and a printed patch-style badge.

We kept it to navy and white. It reverses cleanly — white on blue, blue on white — which makes it easy to use and alternate for different purposes, from T-shirts to mugs. Delivering the right versions and files matters as much as the design; our guide to logo file types explains why. For more graphic design and logo work, see Winning Edge Equine Services.