Branding System | City of Chicago

Project Role | Student, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Skills | Photoshop, InDesign, typography, photography, bookmaking.

Objective | Build a visual identity for the city of Chicago by creating a brandmark + identity system.

Insight | Chicago deserves a logo that is as colorful and exciting its history, aesthetic, and culture.

Concept | Using a limited palette, the Chicago brandmark can be used interchangeably as a singular element or texture.

THE WORK

Brandmark design.

Graphic textures.

Applications.

Process, phase 1.
Research- Accumulated data of Chicago, photographs of the city’s visuals.

Process, phase 2.
Mark development.

Note:
Mark evolution was based on constructive feedback + exploration.
The final mark resulted from the process of crafting, with intention, an aesthetic that is equal parts direct and indirect.
Moving away from the concept of graphic devices lead to a higher focus on typography.
The final mark employs the type itself as a means of creating texture, color, and vibrancy.

The final mark was most inspired by the logo seen above, in the lower right corner.
The idea was to create an active sense of directionality without relying on geometric forms paired with type.

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Process, Phase 3.
Present style guide final document in book form.

Book exterior.

Interior.