Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership

A cooperative partnership to deliver the full spectrum of bird conservation emphasizing volunteer stewardship.

Meet Ryan Steiskal, the artist behind WBCP’s new logo

Posted on Feb 20, 2020 by Ryan Brady   9 Comments


Late last year our logo art competition garnered 60 submissions from dozens of artists around the state. But only one design came out on top, delivering a sharp, fresh look for WBCP as we move into a new era of bird conservation. Congratulations and thank you to Ryan Steiskal of Milwaukee for his bold design emphasizing the species and scope of our work. We sat down with Ryan to ask him a few questions about his art and the inspiration behind his winning design.                

When did you become interested in art?

I think it’s pretty accurate to say that I’ve been into art all my life. It started around age two, when I could first pick up a marker or crayon and has continued to be a passion into adulthood. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh with my Bachelor of Fine Arts a few years ago and have been working to put my skills to good use by focusing on commissions, producing illustrative work for research papers and taking up graphic design work.

How did you find out about our logo art competition?

I actually found out about the contest from a friend. I mentioned to her how I’m trying to branch out more and teach myself graphic design. A few days later, she sent me a link to the WBCI logo contest and strongly encouraged me to enter. Despite my initial hesitation, due to my amateur knowledge and skills in graphic art, I inevitably took the chance and gave it my all. I ended up making a design that I felt very proud of. When I learned that my design had won, I felt a further source of pride and validation, too. I suppose there’s an important lesson to be learned here about taking chances to pursue your passion. And with that, I should ultimately thank my friend, Melissa, for showing support by referring me to this contest. 

What inspired your logo design?

The inspiration for my design comes from my parents and the birds that I associate with childhood memories that I have growing up in Wisconsin. The hummingbird I used in the logo is associated with my mom. She adores hummingbirds and we would always work together to setup the feeder each summer; both of us eagerly waiting to see if any hummingbirds would visit. It’s such a wonderfully, bizarre bird (not unlike my mom), and having the opportunity to observe and feed them always brought both of us joy. The level of excitement my mom experiences whenever she sees a hummingbird approach her feeder is still infectious to this day. 

The goose is associated with my dad and the hunting trips we would go on when I was very young. I honestly never really had much interest in hunting, however, I was always excited to accompany my dad to his duck/goose blind out on the water, learning about how delicate a ecosystem, like a wetlands, can be and the responsibilities we have to mindful on how our presence can impact that environment. It always felt like an adventure in my young mind and those trips helped grow the bond between me and my dad that remains strong to this day. 

The crane in the logo is tied to more memories of home from my childhood. The cranes were frequent visitors to the man-made pond behind our house. When I was a very young tot, my parents would always get a rise out of me by referring to the sandhill cranes that flew by as “pterodactyls”. As a child who was appropriately obsessed with dinosaurs at that time, this always made me rush to the windows or outside to gaze upon those magnificent, lengthy birds. By the time I grew up and left home to go to college, the image of crane changed and started to become a symbol of familiarity and comfort to me, paying homage to my childhood wonder and my parents’ odd (but beloved) sense of humor. To this day, whenever I’m around them, they still refer to any cranes they see as “pterodactyls”, while I still look upon them, both the cranes and my parents, with the same wonderment.                 

Being raised by my parents here in Wisconsin was key to forming my strong love and respect for nature that I still carry with me today. The birds from my past are an expression of my appreciation for those memories gained and lessons learned in my life. It is my hope that the logo I have designed, inspired by that appreciation, serves as a fitting representation for WBCP and their continued work in conserving and restoring the habitats of these beloved birds of Wisconsin. 

For more of Ryan’s work, follow him on Facebook at The Artwork of Ryan Steiskal or on Instagram @ryan_steiskal.                

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9 Responses to "Meet Ryan Steiskal, the artist behind WBCP’s new logo"

Comment by jim Beix, St.Croix Valley Bird C lub
February 20, 2020 12:44 pm

I think WBCP should offer shirts, caps with this great new logo.

Comment by Lisa Hanchette
February 20, 2020 2:42 pm

Absolutely love this art work for the logo! I hope it will be available on shirts & sweatshirts soon!

Comment by Barb Severson
February 20, 2020 2:56 pm

I hope the WBCP considers using this logo on Tshirts and sweatshirts or authorize the use. I live out-of-state but would buy at least one.

Comment by Pam Thrune
August 12, 2020 1:59 pm

The logo looks amazing! And some great stories behind it, thanks for sharing! visit website

Comment by Steve
December 8, 2021 6:58 am

Looks Professional, i must say an amazing skill you have.
thank you
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Comment by JIM BEIX
December 8, 2021 10:17 am

GREAT DESIGN…WAIT FOR SHIRT OFFERING.

Comment by Megan
December 17, 2021 3:11 am

Amazing design concept, like it, keep it up man
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Comment by StationSeo
August 23, 2022 4:02 am

Great blog !
Thanks for publishing your post
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Comment by Samantha F.
November 16, 2022 3:36 pm

I love the new logo, the art, and especially what you guys do for bird conservation. I’m not from Wisconsin but I really appreciate when this work is done anywhere in the world. Especially as one who studies tree service Victoria, BC I can objectively see the results of even the slightest efforts to conserve bird populations. I think your new logo pops and really captures the essence of this important work.


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