Scorpio Season : Branded
This is an ongoing series where I create a moodboard for the current sun season, combining my knowledge of astrology with graphic design as a creative exploration. If you have a lot of Scorpio placements, feel free to use elements that resonate as a form of inspiration for your own brand. My end goal is to create moodboards for each sign as an artistic reference point.
Agave & Moon by James Coffmann, Jenny J branding by Rowan Made, Four Minutes Apart by Alexandra Nataf, Self card pull by Blood Milk, Deep Soak by Haoma, Reverse Illustrations by Carmi Grau, We Are Only Subject by Real Fun Wow, Песня by Artem Tataurov, Hand in Water by Haus Studio, Lost & Found by Bruno Sanfilippo, Diaspora font by Good Eggs
Imagine that you’re born into this world with the door to your unconscious mind cracked open just a bit more than everyone else. And beneath that door lies a world that most people don’t want to talk about. Capital T truths. Shadows. Taboo subjects and the occult. It may be dark down there, but Scorpio dips their toes into the depths anyway.
But why?
When you make the unconscious conscious, when you bring darkness into light, there is a transformation that happens. And when Scorpio is operating at their best and highest, they are alchemists. Shamans of the dark. Willing to dive down deep and let truth lay bare, they remind us that life is fragile.
If I were a Scorpio, now would be the moment where I’d remind you that death is inevitable. That’s just fact. So why do we let our baggage and shadowy selves weigh us down? Why do we avoid that which we do not want to talk about? I mean … I know why, but here me out. What would happen if we slowly and safely brought it into the light and healed? What would it feel like to live life fully and honestly, with nothing left buried?
The word freedom comes to mind.
As someone who is built with Capricornian bones, I bow down to the hard work of Scorpio, who so often gets a bad rep in the world of pop astrology. Labeled as the intense ones, they are really just human beings who are reflecting the very things that we don’t want to face. A mirror into our own unconscious minds.
I can imagine that for those with strong Scorpio placements, this deep psychological soul work is not an easy path. That sometimes it becomes too much. That life can feel too intense. Too scary. And that’s fair. You came here with a mission to go deep and that’s a big ask for anyone.
When talking about Scorpio, my teacher always brings up its opposing sign. Taurus, the embodiment of tranquility. This archetype reminds us all, and especially Scorpio, that sometimes things can be simple. Easy. At any moment, you can choose to sit down, take a look around, and honor the beauty that is life on earth. The flowers, the trees, the animals, the bees. Give yourself a break whenever you need.
When writing this intro, I wanted to honor Scorpio with the honesty that they so appreciate. I didn’t want to make it seem easy but I also didn’t want to make it seem like “the worst” because it’s not. No sign is.
I am whole-heartedly fascinated by Scorpio. I gave birth to one two years ago and since then, have been moving through a Plutonian (Scorpio’s ruler) transit on top of my sun, which has connected me deeply to this energy. While difficult, it has transformed (and is continuing to transform) my life for the better.
Scorpio, when handled with love and care and radical honesty, is pure wisdom. An acknowledgement of death and thus, an appreciation for life.
SO LET’S MAKE SCORPIO VISUAL
Going into this season, I was so curious about what imagery I would be drawn towards when creating its moodboard. I began with color, as that stumped me the most. While I could see any dark, deep, and rich hue working, I ultimately landed on trusty black and white. Darkness and light. Vintage style. It felt like a more pure representation of Scorpio. And, honestly, it made my selection process a bit simpler. Just monotone-ish images? Yes please.
Remember, sometimes Scorpio needs to let life be easy.
For typography, I also felt a little stumped at first. I haven’t worked with any clients with strong Scorpio placements (yet), so it hasn’t been something I’ve had to think about much visually until now. And Scorpio likes to be in the dark, so I had to dig around a bit until I found what felt just right.
Eventually, the word power came to mind. Bold, strong type. It can be as simple as that. But you could also just as easily go a little gothic, a little mysterious, a little occult-ish. That would be for those who really want an obvious translation. So that’s the blend you’ll see here.
For imagery, that part came much quicker. People looking deeply at the camera. Deep intimacy. Reflections of the human soul healing. And anything that felt a bit more dark and penetrating and alchemical.
It feels fitting that all of this came together on Halloween. It wasn’t my intention for the day, but I was led that way anyway.
And that’s it for this season! For those of you who dance with Scorpio every day, I would be curious to hear how you feel about this energy. Has pop astrology made you feel bad about your own sign? And / or have you embraced it fully? Tell me anything and everything.