Client: ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain
Project: Identity and Branding redesign
Role: Design Manager, designer, art director
As the new Design and Brand Manager, I came into an organization that had a really strong logo mark but over 14 years, the brand and use of that logo had become inconsistent, muddy, and not representative of the family science learning and innovative nature museum ECHO was becoming. The Museum had never worked with an in-house design or branding professional, yet did studies that said their audiences had a very murky view of what they did and how they connected to the community. This was a problem in terms of fundraising, earned revenue, and the future of ECHO to be a community resource. As the Museum updated its mission and vision, I started to reevaluate and redo all the branding. First I created new patterns that are inspired by optical illusions and ripples in water and air that I then started incorporating into the business cards, letterhead, other collateral. I art directed new custom illustration and photography so I had assets to start building new advertising campaigns and other visual communications. Our design intern and I created a new branding guide to embrace these changes and help set a path forward. I then took the same branding elements and applied them to the entrance, lobby, and museum shop to transform that space into a fun, welcoming environment. The business cards were designed to be free passes to come to the museum. The new look extended to our lobby, wayfinding, and all throughout the museum. Our branding goal is to be consistent, clear, fun, community resource, and communicate our new mission.
Illustrations by Magen Mitchell. Original logo by JDK/Solidarity.
