Brand guidebooks for global companies
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Landor & Fitch is the world’s largest specialist branding and design agency. Partnering with the in-house teams at Landor & Fitch, I’ve assisted with the branding documentation of 13 global companies (including several Fortune 500 companies). My primary role is designing and writing comprehensive guidebooks that articulate brand strategy and how to implement the visual system effectively. I also produce mockups (both design and copy) to model branding applications.
Much of my produced work is under NDA, but feel free to ask for more details on my role. (Just be prepared for vague replies.) |
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Refreshed brand for online school
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OPPORTUNITY
Building a Second Brain (BASB) is a cohort-based learning program on the leading edge of personal knowledge management. While its original branding had appealed to hard-core techies, the company needed to evolve its visual identity to match (and attract more of) its rapidly growing mainstream audience. The branding also needed to reflect that the program had become a sophisticated, fun, premium experience. SOLUTION After conducting extensive research (and taking the program myself), I developed a comprehensive visual identity system that balanced a digital look with a human, friendly feel. Circuitry suggested the company’s technological underpinnings and could be flexibly remixed to create dynamic results across digital and print media. A quirky typeface paired with muted color palette with pops of energetic accents helped to balance sophistication with playful human warmth. I produced a 43-page brand guidebook for the new visual identity system, including writing the copy for all mocked up items. I also produced a library of 33 circuit graphic elements for easy content creation. Click to view the guidebook. |
Original logo
The refreshed logo
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During the rebranding, the founder was writing a book about the course. I had the opportunity to suggest cover concepts to the publisher (Atria Books). The cover that Atria Books produced (view here) shared similarities with my suggestions below.
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The book contains numerous diagrams, which Tiago Forte conceived and which I helped to produce in the new brand style.
Tiered subbrands for museum donor groups
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OPPORTUNITY
The California Academy of Sciences is a natural history museum and research institution with a four-story rainforest, aquarium, and planetarium—all under one living roof. As a nonprofit, it relies on donations to support many of its programs, and it was seeking to attract more donors and build loyalty. SOLUTION Drawing upon audience insights, I created a system of three tiers, with wordmarks, graphic motifs, colorways, and typography that works within the museum’s larger brand. I also helped with the naming of these tiers. Each tier’s visual system is designed to resonate with its audience, from family-friendly to highly sophisticated. |
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For the most family-oriented donor tier, a bold, chunky wordmark works with a thick circle motif and photos of charismatic animals to create a fun and friendly tone. Bright green, a primary brand color for the museum, is dominant in these communications for the museum’s largest donor audience.
Click to view brochure
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For higher-value gifts, a thinner type weight and circle motif integrate with photos of plants to present a more sophisticated look. The circle motif is positioned in ways that signal upward momentum and leadership. Oranges and yellows dominate, suggesting optimism and vibrant energy.
Click to view brochure
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This is the most elevated tier, requiring gifts of $100,000+ to join. A wordmark in small caps pairs with a small circle to signal elegance and exclusivity. Photos of gems and minerals represent a deep, precious connection with nature. Purples and royal blues evoke a sense of luxury.
Click to view brochure
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For collateral not specific to a tier of giving, I extended the circle concept
with graphic shapes and photos, and applied a more general typography style:
with graphic shapes and photos, and applied a more general typography style:
Identity for teen program
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OPPORTUNITY
Design is a powerful tool for change, and we need more diverse voices in this field. During a team meeting, my colleagues and I were discussing our paths to design, and how we would have pursued design earlier if we had been encouraged and educated about as teens. We decided to launch a poster contest to encourage Bay Area high school students to explore graphic design and celebrate diversity. To promote this new program, we needed branding to reflect our goal and appeal to a teen audience. SOLUTION I developed a bold, playful wordmark and visual system to suggest that design can be fun and approachable, and helped to design print and digital collateral in this identity. Our team also assembled numerous free learning resources for students, including webinars. I wrote the copy and designed the exhibits for a webpage to inspire experimentation with the core elements of graphic design. |
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Logo, identity, and stylebook for study center
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OPPORTUNITY
The Child Study Center of New York is a nonprofit that provides educational support for preschool students with special needs. Its executive director wanted a fresh, modern logo and visual identity that would show the organization’s inclusiveness, playfulness, and friendliness. SOLUTION I designed a trio of cheerful, childlike faces in vibrant colors, which could be applied playfully in multiple contexts, and produced a style guidebook. Unfortunately, the project was dropped after a change in organizational leadership. |
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Logo and usage guidebook for science lab
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OPPORTUNITY
The Borevitz Lab is a team of plant scientists who use cutting-edge technologies to develop gene-based solutions for landscape issues. With its expanding production of digital media, the group needed a logo to convey its work themes while being distinctive at any scale—from smartphones to auditorium presentation screens. SOLUTION I designed a logo inspired by computer motherboards and forest trees, representing the lab's commitment to researching natural systems with technological tools. The logo shows trees in different growth stages supporting each other, representing the lab’s highly inclusive, collaborative spirit. The shape of the B mimics the shape of an SD memory card, a staple for the lab. I also produced a logo usage guidebook. |
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