Brand Identity & Graphic Design

How a graphic design education and love for branding benefits an enterprise UX Designer

TL;DR:

From inspiration through final design, I created a brand identify for a strategy and innovation UX design team that spoke to their mission and principles.

Role

Designer

Key skills

Graphic design

Opportunity

A new strategy and innovation team was established within the UXD organization. As a founding member of the team, I volunteered to create a brand identity.

Process

Finding the vibe

I started with a list of words that represented or loosely associated with the newly defined team principles and gathered inspiration.

Keywords

space
thinking
joy
partner
guide
pyramid
angles

modern
stable
possibility
clarity
empathy
simplicity
lines

flexibility
progress
consistent
inclusive
welcoming
cohesive
connection

make
communicate
action
quick
movement
risk
collaboration

Throwing spaghetti at the wall

I then moved on to logomark ideation, color palette exploration, and refined logo design with my teammates serving as clients.

The ideas that stuck

Compass: the team loved using a compass and a visual metaphor for “boundless opportunity paths, but we can help define the direction”
Cross-stitch: the “X” is essential to creating intricately beautiful cross-stitch pieces—paying homage to all creative mediums
Pattern play: with the “X” symbol, made of two strokes, there was an opportunity to have a conversation about the push and pull of enterprise strategy and innovation.

Refined concepts: Compass, Cross-stitch, Pattern play

Option 1: Cross-stitch inspired logo with a mid-century modern color scheme

Option 2: A bold mark with fun pattern play

Results

Ultimately, the team loved the mix of a bold forward arrow with a pattern that could change infinitely—as frequently as our creativity desired.