The story behind Liam Lawson’s unique logo

When Liam Lawson needed a logo that encapsulated his personality, his racing style and his heritage, New Zealand-based graphic designers Harris Keenan and Oliver James stepped up to the task. With only three weeks to bring the concept to life last year, the duo set out to create a unique logo that would stand apart from the sleek, monochromatic branding associated with most other F1 drivers. The result is a distinctive emblem that reflects both Lawson’s fiery driving style and his interests off track.

Keenan and James first connected with Lawson after creating the branding for the Los Angeles-based talent agency that represents him. The Red Bull driver curated a mood board, with the help of his team, featuring a mix of streetwear brands, iconic racing visuals and design references from other industries. “We wanted to make sure that the brand was bigger than just racing, and that it could be used for many things in the future,” Keenan explained.

The logo they devised features an illustrated character resembling Lawson with a cheeky grin, a mischievous look in his eye, and a bright pink backwards cap. Interestingly however, the character was originally conceived in Lawson’s head, long before he ever stepped foot on the F1 grid. 

“He’s been drawing the character for many years,” Keenan said. “He gave us a little sketch drawing that he did himself… and we wanted to keep it really simple, but we added the cap and the little cheeky grin.”

The initial design featured round, friendly eyes, but after submitting the assets, Keenan had a moment of reconsideration. “I called Liam’s social media manager and said, ‘We need to change the eyes and make them more menacing, more aggressive… because that’s how he drives and how he operates on the track’.” That tiny adjustment helped strike the balance between Lawson’s easygoing personality away from the F1 paddock and his fierce competitiveness behind the wheel.

James said he “loves the dichotomy” of the brand they created. “It’s quite unassuming, it’s a little bit cute and playful, but then on the race track he’s actually this crazy menace, so I like the balance between those two sides of him,” he said.

James also noted that the design brief extended beyond motorsport to Lawson’s other possible pursuits. “He’s very interested in fashion and music as well,” the illustrator explained. “So I think those are the things that they want to grow the brand into eventually.”

The pair also envision the logo evolving over time. “OBB Media was one of our references,” James went on. “They have this character that has developed over time and now becomes an icon in different scenarios. I think Liam and his team liked the malleability of being able to have the character transform or shift into whatever it needs to be in that moment.”

While the initial design phase is complete, Keenan and James believe they’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible. “We want to keep building on it in the future,” James said. “It’s meant to go beyond just being on a helmet, and that’s what we’ve been chipping away at in the background.” Standing out from the pack of sharp, minimalistic logos was also a point of national pride for the duo.

“He’s a Kiwi, we’re both Kiwis… and when we’re on the world stage, we want to make an impact,” Keenan said. “We want to be seen and be heard, so we made sure that this logo was going to stand out and be different from everything else.”