The Center for Social Impact is a division of North Central College whose goal is, in their own words, to "develop the next generation of changemakers." They host the ARC Library, a collection of activism resources for use by the North Central community. They also host a variety of events related to promoting activism and advocacy efforts on and off of campus.
Myself and another designer were tasked with developing a new logo for the Center, as well as producing some branding elements for them to use in future endeavors. Throughout the process, we worked closely with Eric Shuman, North Central's Experiential Learning Coordinator.
The final product of this collaboration is a set of logomarks and color palette for future use by the Center. Multiple logomarks made it through to the finalized product, as our client was interested in employing a variety of logo styles for different purposes as he saw fit.
The color palette for this project consisted of 3 key colors and 3 accent colors. Featured in the logo are all 3 of the key colors chosen, each of which represents a separate pillar of what the Center stands for. These three pillars are that of Community, Justice, and Action. A brief discussion of each key color and its significance can be found below:
Blue: This is meant to represent the "Justice" pillar, as blue is often a color associated with judicial entities and systems. While those systems may not always be aligned with the aims of activists' work, referencing the colors often used in those organizations can help reinforce the formality and validity of said work in the eyes of the public.
Green: This is meant to represent the "Community" pillar. Green is often associated with nature and growth, and what better example of community is there than the environment itself? While that might sound cliche, I do believe that nature is a great allegory for community, and as such was worth including through this color.
Pink: This is meant to represent the "Action" pillar. The use of pink to represent action is actually a layered choice, intended as a combination of some meanings commonly associated with red and white. The former is often associated with direct action and change, whereas the latter is often associated with focus and refinement. By combining the two, it better reflects the intention of the Center to encourage action for a cause.