This project encompasses assets developed to create a visual identity for NOAA's Chemical Sciences Laboratory and to communicate the organization's mission, vision, and scientific priorities. This work was designed and created by Chelsea Thompson, the in-house science communicator and graphic designer for CSL, to coincide with the Laboratory's 5-year Science Review in 2021.

The Chemical Sciences Laboratory (CSL) is one of ten federal research laboratories under the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, which is the science and research support line office for the Agency. Located in Boulder, Colorado, CSL performs scientific research to understand the chemical and physical processes that affect Earth's atmospheric composition and climate. Research at CSL centers around three main themes: air quality, climate, and stratosphere. 

Despite it's long history, CSL has never had a logo or visual identity of it's own, and has not been well-known to the public or even to some of the other line offices across the Agency. The 2021 Science Review became a good opportunity to create such an identity for CSL with the aim of improving recognition of the Lab and familiarizing stakeholders (e.g., Congress, the public) with what we do. 

CSL is on the atmospheric side of NOAA and studies the chemistry and composition of the first two layers of the atmosphere: the troposphere and the stratosphere. The design of the logo represents these layers. The darker blue layer represents the stratosphere. The troposphere is broken down into the "cleaner" free troposphere, represented as the lighter blue/aqua color, and surface level boundary layer (orange) where air pollution is most concentrated.

NOAA is most commonly associated with weather (through the National Weather Service) and with ocean and fisheries services. CSL is a somewhat unique part of NOAA in dealing with air quality and atmospheric chemistry, two topics that are mostly foreign to the ocean side (the "wet side") of NOAA. This graphic was created to illustrate the myriad research topics that CSL works on across the Earth System so that our Agency colleagues and other stakeholders have a better appreciation for what we do.

The new logo and graphic were used to create a new informational brochure (a "2-pager") about CSL. These 2-pagers are used extensively for meetings with Congress members and staffers and other VIPs across the federal and state governments.