liberty steam branding

Client

Liberty STEAM Charter School

Year

2021+

CREATIVE BRIEF / The goal of the project was to create a new visual brand that would convey a sense of innovation & traditional. The main challenge was differentiating the brand among surrounding schools in the area.

Along with a branding strategy, the project included designing school uniforms, IDs, the mascot, print materials, brand guides, web elements, and social media visuals.

INTRO / Liberty STEAM Charter is a charter school in Sumter, SC offering a kindergarten through 12th-grade STEAM-focused, project-based, and personalized learning model that is innovative and unlike any other school in South Carolina.

role(s)

Brand Designer

Brand Strategist

Art Director

Illustrator

let's start from the beginning

The first stage of the project was to create a responsive logo for the school which I started by creating a word map using word association along following with multiple sketches drawn before moving onto the computer.

Button

logo concept 1

This icon combines a book and the letter “L”

A book conveys a traditional and timeless feel as ebooks are becoming more common but the likelihood of books becoming obsolete is very low

This icon lets parents know Liberty is an open book regarding the parents being informed along with expanding the minds of their children. This logo give that mission a face. A fun fact that can be explained at orientation enticing parents to chose your school for their young ones.

logo concept 2

More traditional than the previous concept focusing on the word “Liberty”

Here the letter “L” is combined with a torch and the “L” represents the flame. The traditional feel comes from the statue of Liberty, when one hears the word “liberty” most likely the first thing to come to mind is the statue of liberty and that sense of history follows.

and ladies & gentlemen!... the chosen one!

"One thing I had to keep in mind is during the identity development was making sure the logo translates perfectly for embroidery.

The main font chosen was Exo which was chosen for all logo concepts as it has a futuristic feel. Paired with the traditional book & torch icons it's a way to say “we are traditional and have our roots but we are innovative and timeless.”

Considering how Liberty’s goal was to be a brand that would convey a sense of innovation and traditional values...

Futura was chosen for the header as it is bold, serious, modern and forward. Its Bauhaus history pairs well the geometric iconography chosen for the school’s visual branding. Garamond’s traditional feel balance’s Future’s modernism with its serifs and maintains readability at small points.

mascot time!

After creating the logo, handbook, mock ups, social media templates, and other brand materials, the next step was to create a mascot illustration for the school.

I started this process by exploring various art directions & styles by sketching out rough drawings and refining the sketches until satisfied before moving onto the computer. I created over 10 different mascots and the two below stuck out to me the most.