This was a complex and lengthy project that posed some interesting challenges. ChiCommons has multiple branches that serve different purposes and users or clients. They needed a brand system that worked for a broad range of people and managed to work in both corporate and more relaxed settings. And they needed a style guide to bring it all together, creating a system to work off of that would help them maintain a consistent brand image across their different branches.

They had initially wanted to have two separate logos, but I worked out a design that was flexible enough to be used in both settings. It still allowed for a different look for the more corporate side, but only with a slight alteration in color. This creates better consistency and brand recognition across all their different websites and digital or printed materials. In the end, we ended up with several versions of the logo, but they all work together and serve their specific purpose. Here's a glimpse into the process that went into the creation of their brand and the accompanying style guide.

This logo was designed to resemble a propeller, the three C's working as one to propel them forward. The different colors were used inside each of the C's to show the diversity of the skills and the people involved. And the more organic shape and smooth edges were used to convey a more friendly, community type of feel.

The accompanying color scheme and typography followed the same idea of conveying a balance of business and community focus. I focused on finding colors that had a bit of vibrancy to them, but weren't too bright and wild. And I found typefaces that were rounded and friendly, but not to informal or excessive in personality. Something that could fit in anywhere they would use their logos and typefaces.

And to pull it all together, I created a style guide with advice on how to consistently use all their design components across their business and create a strong brand presence. This has instructions for clear space around logos, weight, size and style of type, color use, tone, and many other smaller but still important details. Below is an abridged preview of the full style guide.