BRAND DESIGN + PRINT DESIGN
WHAT HAPPENED?
I conducted a brand refresh for Governor Phil Murphy's legacy campaign, a way for New Jersey residents to save money and get access to resources.
overview
Here's some context
My team and I worked on the brand refresh for NJ Governor Phil Murphy's legacy campaign, the Garden State Community Outreach. The campaign heads wanted to make their brand more modern and approachable to young audiences, while still being serious and mature for older demographics.
Our task was to:
Update the brand to find a balance between modern and approachable and serious and mature
Create different posters and designs that cater to different age groups and demographics, and that also highlight the vast amount of programs offered by this campaign initiative
moodboarding
round 1 posters
getting feedback
round 2 posters
So what is the Garden State Community Outreach Program?
GSCO →
The various resources they offer such as: Health/Wellness
Utility
Financial
Mental Health & Substance Use
Disability-Related
Food/Nutrition
You →
NJ resident
Individual or Family
Millennial -> Boomer
Better Life
Improved health
Better economic opportunity
More time with loved ones
More savings on bills and expenses
Enhanced quality of life
Tone
Because of the serious tone of the government program, we wanted to make sure to balance it with some lightheartedness.
Friendly
Modern
Human
Inclusive
Comforting
THE ORIGINAL BRAND
The previous campaign branding
The campaign's original branding was more serious and felt a bit detached from its audience. The visual style was very old-fashioned and vintage in a way that didn't match the content.
The main problems I found were:
Visual style is out-dated and does not connect well with audiences
All of the promotional material looks the same or similar for each ethnic and age demographic
Old GSCO Design Elements
Old GSCO Icon System
Old Promotional Assets
BRAINSTORMING
Our moodboarding sessions
After establishing the purpose of the GSCO campaign and what its mission was, we began conducting brainstorming sessions to present 3 different general directions for the client to choose from.
The 3 directions we presented were:
Safe - a style that would be very similar to the already existing brand identity with minimal changes.
Explorative - a style that would be a slight departure from the existing brand style but that would live in the same realm.
Overhaul - a direction that looks completely different from the existing brand style, but still represents the message and mission of the campaign.
MAKING POSTERS TO SHOW CONCEPT
creating initial posters based on client feedback
After presenting our moodboards and photos for each of the three directions, we received feedback from our client and worked on designing initial posters based on the moodboards.
With the poster mockups, I aimed to:
Focus on the safe moodboard and delve deeper into how the brand identity would be represented through a series of posters.
Try to think more boldly and creatively about the branding so that it's not too similar to the existing visual identity of GSCO.
Iterations of Poster Designs
Round 1 of Poster Designs
With these initial posters, I incorporated some line art elements to provide visualizations of the different types of programs.
I was provided feedback that the line art style looked a bit childish , and to expand upon its complexity to ground the art more into the poster.
Round 2 of Poster Designs
After absorbing the feedback given to me, I iterated on the line art design style and created these posters showcasing different illustrations or icons combining to form a pattern (see middle poster). The middle poster has a sort of intricate interwoven pattern to highlight and visualize different elements, like plant leaves and building windows.
Designing this pattern sparked the idea of using a pattern simple icons or illustrations as a visual language to represent the different types of state programs GSCO offers.
CREATING AN ICON SYSTEM
using an icon system as visual language to represent different programs
After seeing the line art illustration style in the last group of posters I presented, the client wanted to see a partially built out icon system to see how it would integrate with the current brand style of the organization.
my goals with the icons were to:
Accurately represent the 5 different categories of government programs:
Health & Wellness
Utility Assistance
Financial Resources
Disability-Related Resourcse
Mental Health & Substance Use Services
Have the icons seamlessly integrate with the photography in a way that's mature and audience-specific
Vector Icons
went to Illustrator and Figma to vectorize the icons I sketched out to later incorporate them into the line art pattern displayed below. With every pattern, there would be icons that are program specific and icons that are general. These general icons represent New Jersey, The Garden State, with well known landmarks such as the Outerbridge Crossing and the Sandy Hook Lighthouse.
My idea was to have a pattern that intertwines the New Jersey icons (in a subdued color), and the program icons (in a bright color).
Final Round of Designs
To present a fleshed out example to the client of my idea, I brainstormed and created a icon system for the Wellness and Health state programs that Garden State Community Outreach offers NJ residents.
Final Posters I Presented
that's all folks!
brand design • poster design
Helping New Jersey's GSCO program connect to its audience in a meaningful way.
UX/UI design . Mobile app design
Is there something wrong with Apple Music's UI?
