As of 2020 (what a time to be alive) Magazeta has been out there for 15 years already and became #1 online magazine about China in Russian language. I’m grateful to 马玉玺 (Alexander) and 欧丽亚 (Oliya), as well as the whole Magazeta crew for entrusting me with this rebranding.
We started with thorough research of animal symbolism in Chinese culture.
From 4 BC Shan Hai Jing - 山海经
To 21 AD as seen on the internet behind the Great Wall.
From here on it was clear that our logo needed an animal in order to fit into Chinese zoo. This is where the first character of 马网报 came in handy. 马 (mǎ) - Horse.
“… the Horse not only represents heaven, a king, a father, and a well-educated man, but it also represents a man of honor in traditional Chinese culture.”
— 易经 ICHING
A circle in Chinese culture stands for oneness, fullfillment. A great example is an Yin Yang symbol that incorporates everything into unified balance. Inspired by it we crafted our logo using only circles.
The pose of our horse is not accidental either. It runs towards East, discovering the rich culture and philosophy of China, however its' head is turned towards West, informing everyone of what it seen.
Ok, now the next one puts a huge smile on my face. Those guys baked some real cookies with the logo on top. How cool is that!