Waters Edge Recreations — Recreation Logo Design for a Sri Lankan Leisure Brand
This recreation logo design project was unlike anything we had done before. Waters Edge Recreations is a subsidiary of Waters Edge Ltd — one of Sri Lanka’s most well-known hospitality brands, home to dining, weddings, events, and now a full recreational facility in the heart of Colombo. The brief came directly from the chairman at the time, and it carried a very specific creative vision.
The Brief
The chairman himself brought the concept to the table. He wanted to build on the existing Waters Edge identity — keeping the main brand’s W monogram at the heart, but surrounding it with a visual world that told the story of the recreational subsidiary. Specifically, the idea was to celebrate what Waters Edge Recreations stands for. That included Sri Lanka’s heritage values, the tropical lifestyle, tennis, food, dance, music, cultural festivals, bars, and more. Furthermore, the new mark had to feel premium and timeless, in keeping with the parent brand.
As a result, this was not a typical recreation logo design brief. Instead, it was a request for a detailed, hand-drawn illustration ring built around an existing brand mark — one that would carry the full spirit of the venue in a single emblem.
Our Approach
First, we listened carefully to the vision and understood the full scope of what was needed. The chairman had a clear picture in mind. Therefore, our role was not to lead the creative direction — it was to bring strong illustration skill to an existing concept and execute it to the highest standard.
We kept the existing Waters Edge W monogram — the main brand’s signature blue double-stroke letterform — at the centre as the anchor. Around it, we built a detailed gold illustration ring entirely from scratch. That ring holds tropical palm trees, monstera leaves, tennis rackets, musical instruments, cultural figures, food and drink references, and more. We drew each element one by one, then carefully arranged them to sit naturally within the full circular form.
The Challenge of a Complex Brief
In a recreation logo design project of this nature, detail is both the goal and the risk. We advised the client clearly — a mark this detailed would face challenges in smaller uses. Detailed emblem logos can lose clarity at small sizes, on embroidery, and in single-colour print. Moreover, the more elements a logo contains, the harder it becomes to keep visual balance across all uses.
However, the chairman and the team were committed to their vision. So we respected that choice and focused entirely on delivering the illustration to the highest level of craft. Sometimes in this industry the designer’s role is to advise clearly, then deliver brilliantly — and that is exactly what we did here.
What We Delivered
The final mark brings together Sri Lankan heritage, tropical nature, sport, food, music, and culture into one richly detailed circular emblem. The existing Waters Edge W monogram anchors the centre, connecting the subsidiary directly to the parent brand. The gold illustration ring we built around it tells the full story of what Waters Edge Recreations offers its members.
We include this project in our portfolio for two reasons. First, it carries the name of one of Sri Lanka’s most well-known hospitality brands. Furthermore, it shows a specific skill — executing complex heritage illustration under a client-led direction to extend an existing brand identity into a new subsidiary.
View Our Other Logo and Brand Identity Projects here to see the full range of what we do.
For further reading on emblem logo design and heritage branding, BP&O is one of the best resources in the industry.
