Pulling on String: How We Designed Our New Podcast Logo

Our digital art director explains how he came up with the design.

James West/Mother Jones

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

Yesterday, we launched the Mother Jones PodcastOne exciting step in putting out a new show is creating a logo that distills for eyeballs the essence of what we are offering listeners’ eardrums.

That’s where Adam Vieyra, our digital art director, stepped in. In this video, Adam explains how he conceptualized the logo from initial sketches to the final version: a ball of string with one thread sticking out, placed on our orange background. “It organically comes up as a terminology for reporting, to keep pulling on that string, or to keep gathering string on that,” Adam told me. “It’s just something I’ve heard in newsrooms, and specifically at Mother Jones.”

Watch Adam’s creative process unfold:

Listen to our debut show here:

And don’t forget you can subscribe using any of the following services:

YOUR GIFT DOUBLES THROUGH FRIDAY

Right now, every dollar you give goes twice as far—but only until Friday’s midnight deadline. This is the moment to make your support count double.

In a climate where journalists face mounting pressure to back down, stay silent, or soften their reporting, Mother Jones refuses to flinch. We’re pushing back against intimidation and delivering fierce, independent journalism that holds power accountable—no matter who’s trying to silence us.

But here’s the reality: We’re a nonprofit newsroom with zero corporate backing and no financial cushion. We depend entirely on readers like you to fund the investigations that matter most.

Friday’s 2X match deadline is coming soon. We need you on the team right now. Please chip in and double your impact.

YOUR GIFT DOUBLES THROUGH FRIDAY

Right now, every dollar you give goes twice as far—but only until Friday’s midnight deadline. This is the moment to make your support count double.

In a climate where journalists face mounting pressure to back down, stay silent, or soften their reporting, Mother Jones refuses to flinch. We’re pushing back against intimidation and delivering fierce, independent journalism that holds power accountable—no matter who’s trying to silence us.

But here’s the reality: We’re a nonprofit newsroom with zero corporate backing and no financial cushion. We depend entirely on readers like you to fund the investigations that matter most.

Friday’s 2X match deadline is coming soon. We need you on the team right now. Please chip in and double your impact.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate