Ma Ye | Horse & leaf personal identity
Designed in 2015, Ma Ye’s personal mark brings together a horse (ma) and a leaf (ye) to give her name a visual form. Animal and plant meet in one identity, connecting agency, growth and the relationship between people and nature.
Designed in 2015, this personal identity combines a horse profile and a green leaf. Ma is both the Chinese word for horse and Ma Ye’s surname. Ye means leaf and shares its pronunciation with 烨, the character in her given name. The two natural forms together give Ma Ye a visual identity.
The mark connects a name, a form and a set of values. The horse carries associations of agency and exploration; the leaf suggests growth and renewal. Their combination places an individual identity within a wider living system.
This case reads the name, form, colour and ecological relationships, extending their meaning from a present-day brand perspective. It brings the 2015 design together with the interpretation developed here.
A name becomes a form: horse / Ma, leaf / Ye
Ma aligns a surname with a recognisable animal. The leaf connects to the given name through the shared sound ye. Sound becomes the bridge and natural forms become the language for translating a name.
A viewer can recognise horse and leaf before discovering Ma Ye, moving from image to name to meaning. Chinese meaning and pronunciation connect with the Romanised name in a single mark.
- Designed
- 2015
- Name correspondence
- Ma: surname and horse; Ye: leaf, pronounced like 烨 in the given name
Agency and growth: complementary living forces
The horse can be read as agency, independence and exploration: putting judgment into action, entering unfamiliar territory and finding direction through practice. It gives the mark an active, determined character.
The leaf can be read as vitality, learning and renewal: drawing nourishment from its surroundings, responding to changing conditions and continuing to grow. It adds patience, adaptability and a long-term perspective to action.
Together they suggest exploring through action and responding through growth. Research, design and entrepreneurship require this rhythm: the initiative to begin and the willingness to learn from feedback.
Animal and plant: an identity within an ecology
Animals and plants exist through relationships within living systems. The meeting of horse and leaf can symbolise the interdependence of people and nature, and a wish for individuals and their environments to grow together.
This extends green into a way of examining a question: understanding the setting of an action, attending to the resources and relationships involved in creating value, and considering its longer-term effects.
Viewed today, this ecological narrative resonates with MY CREATIVE CENTER and Mgreen Lab’s interest in green innovation and product design: considering human needs, business value and environmental relationships together when exploring technology and products.
Form and colour: connection through flow
The solid horse profile and its outward curves echo the leaf contour and veins. Continuing arcs and negative space organise the two forms into a whole, giving the identity a flowing, open rhythm.
Black creates a clear silhouette and visual anchor, inviting a reading of independent judgment and purposeful action. Green highlights the leaf’s vitality, suggesting renewal, growth and ecological awareness. Their contrast supports recognition.
The existing artwork is stored as SVG vector paths, and the website also uses a white monochrome version. This case retains the original forms and colours while using presentation and element studies to explain their meaning.
- Original colours
- Black #000000; green #009242
- Artwork
- Original SVG vector artwork; existing white monochrome website version
Brand value: a name that becomes a lasting visual language
The name supplies an identity cue, horse and leaf supply visual memory, and agency and growth supply a value narrative. Together, these layers support consistent recognition across personal introductions, research exchange and entrepreneurial expression.
The mark also illustrates an approach to brand design: beginning with a real name and experience, then finding a visual language that can be seen, remembered and explained. A simple form carries several meanings, while continued use allows those meanings to accumulate.
A concise reading: act with the horse’s agency; grow with the leaf’s vitality; remain connected to the world that sustains both.
这个个人标志于 2015 年设计完成，以马的侧脸与绿色叶片构成一个整体。马既是动物，也是姓氏“马 / Ma”；叶既是植物，其拼音 Ye 也与名字中的“烨”同音。两种自然形象共同构成 Ma Ye 的视觉表达。
标志将姓名、形态与价值观联系起来：马承载行动与探索的意象，叶承载生长与更新的意象。动物与植物的组合，将个人身份放进一个更广阔的生命系统。
以下从名字、图形、色彩与生态关系展开解读，并在今天的品牌视角下延伸其意义。2015 年的设计事实与当下的价值阐释共同构成这篇案例。
名字成为图形：马 / Ma，叶 / Ye
“马”将姓氏与一种可辨识的动物形象重合；“叶”通过同音关系呼应姓名中的“烨”。这是一种以声音为桥梁、以自然形态为语言的名字转译。
观者可以先识别马与叶，再理解 Ma Ye，形成从图像到名字、再到意义的记忆路径。中文的字义与发音、英文拼写中的 Ma 和 Ye，在同一个标志中建立联系。
- 设计完成时间
- 2015 年
- 姓名对应
- 马 / Ma：姓氏与动物；叶 / Ye：植物，与“烨”同音
行动与生长：两种互补的生命力量
马可以被理解为行动力、独立性与探索精神：把判断付诸行动，走向尚未熟悉的领域，并在实践中寻找方向。它为标志赋予主动、坚定的气质。
叶可以被理解为生命力、学习与更新：在环境中吸收养分，随条件变化调整自身，并持续生长。它为行动补充耐心、适应力与长远视角。
两者组合起来，形成“以行动探索，以生长回应”的价值表达。研究、设计与创业都需要这样的节奏：敢于开始，也愿意在反馈中学习和调整。
动物与植物：让个人身份连接生态关系
动物与植物共同构成生命系统中的关系。马与叶的相遇，可以被读作人与自然相互依存的象征，也表达个体与环境共同成长的愿景。
这层含义将“绿色”延伸为一种观察问题的方式：理解行动所处的环境，关注创造价值时涉及的资源与关系，并考虑更长远的影响。
从今天的视角看，这种生态叙事与 MY CREATIVE CENTER、Mgreen Lab 对绿色创新和产品设计的关注形成呼应：在探索技术与产品可能时，将人的需求、商业价值与环境关系一起纳入思考。
形态与色彩：以流动建立连接
马头的实体轮廓与向外舒展的曲线，和叶片的轮廓、叶脉形成视觉呼应。弧线的延续与留白将两个形象组织成整体，也让标志拥有流动、舒展的节奏。
黑色提供清晰的轮廓与视觉重心，可以延伸为独立判断与坚定行动；绿色突出叶片的生命感，可以延伸为更新、生长与生态意识。两种颜色共同形成辨识度。
现有原图以 SVG 矢量路径保存，网站另有白色单色版本。这个案例沿用原标志的形态和颜色，通过展示图与元素解读说明其含义。
- 原标志色彩
- 黑色 #000000；绿色 #009242
- 图形文件
- SVG 矢量原图；网站已有白色单色版本
品牌价值：让名字成为持续使用的视觉语言
名字提供身份线索，马与叶提供图形记忆，行动与生长提供价值叙事。三个层次叠加，让标志能够在个人介绍、研究交流和创业表达中建立一致的识别。
它也展示了一种品牌设计思路：从真实的名字与经历出发，找到能被看见、被记住、被解释的视觉语言。简洁的形态承载丰富的意义，持续使用则让意义逐步积累。
一句话解读：以马为名，行动向前；以叶为意，与世界共同生长。
