Brand development and logo redesign for the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL).
JACL NY/SC — Rebrand
TIMELINE
SKILLS
September 2020
Brand design
TOOLS
Adobe Illustrator
Founded in 1929, the JACL is the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization in the United States. My task was to redesign the logo for its National Youth/Student Council (NY/SC), a group of student leaders who work to raise awareness of Asian American Pacific Islander issues and create a positive impact in the community.
Background
The Challenge
Creating a modern, recognizable brand identity and logo redesign that accurately represents JACL values and resonates with the JACL community.
I began by experimenting with different ways to create derivatives of the original logo. The client and I decided to move forward with the bold, sans-serif text to stand out on all platforms and maximize legibility.
Initial Designs
Original logo
Design 1: fluid with serif font
Design 2: geometric with sans serif font
I then tested out several variations of colors, placements, and design motifs. After discussing with the client, we moved forward with the geometric bird design to honor Japanese origami.
Iterating on selects
After presenting the iterations to my client and receiving their feedback, I created two versions of the final logo: a main logo for use with all official materials and a colorful logo for use with youth activities.
Final Deliverables
I created a simple brand one-pager for the organization's future use. Because this was the organization's first time developing brand guidelines, I aimed to make it simple, comprehensive, and easy to understand.
Brand Guidelines
Reflection
Quantity over quality.
In the beginning of the design process, it’s more important to get as many ideas down as possible than to perfect each one. This allowed both me and my client to have a better sense of our vision.
Practice makes perfect.
This was one of my first times creating vector logos, and there was definitely a learning curve. However, the more time I spent familiarizing myself with the tools, the more comfortable I found myself. In the end, I was able to design with more speed and accuracy.