InformEd States
CASE STUDY: IDENTITY & BRAND EXPRESSION
About the client:
InformEd States is an academic coalition of researchers that creates and manages a clearinghouse for policy analysis, original research, data, and rigorous evidence on the equity and effectiveness of state higher education funding policies. Their work seeks to inform future legislative decisions.
GOALS:
Research and develop relevant names for new lab to capture its essence and goals
Develop a comprehensive visual identity including logo, typography, color, pattern, and imagery library that showcases its fresh and exciting approach to academic research and data compilation
Create a full website design in conjunction with a developer to help launch the lab and serve as a home for research, promotion, news, and more
PROCESS:
After performing market research, five name options were presented for the naming of the lab, along with checking for registered trademarks and urls to ensure unique presence
Developed mood boards to get a sense of the desired look/feel of the lab from a visual standpoint to drive identity development
Designed five logo options utilizing wordmarks, symbols, and patterns, refining selected logo for final product
Developed visual identity including primary and secondary color palette, typeface families, photo library, and pattern to aid in design of website and collateral materials such as Word and Powerpoint templates
Worked closely with a developer to create custom visually-branded website for InformEd States that is flexible to serve their dissemination needs
Created custom Word and Powerpoint templates for brief, paper, and presentation generation
TARGET AUDIENCE:
State policymakers, researchers and journalists covering higher education.
RESULTS:
The full initial engagement of developing a comprehensive name, visual identity, and website allowed InformEd States to further their goals with a clear identity and presence in their field. The website allows for a consistent and coherent dissemination platform to house their work in one place, making it simpler and easier for their core audiences to find what they need. Templates keep dissemination consistent and allows for their team members to produce public-facing designed work.
“We came to GDC for help developing a visual identity and with website and graphic design support. GDC has been wonderful to work with over the last four years! We didn’t even have a name for our team when we started – GDC came up with several options for us, each of which came with a logo and website template to help us visualize our choices. We’ve continued to work with GDC for graphic design and marketing support, and we’re so grateful for their work. They anticipate our needs, keep us on track with deadlines (we need this!), listens to us, and create very thoughtful visual content for our team!”