Kentucky Resources Council Rebrand, Case Study

DESIGN FOR PUBLIC ISSUES FALL 2017

KINETIC CREATIVE Caitlin Bender Carolina Ganon Maddy Hamel Emily Houze Kylar Ware Alex Weber Kaytie White

Kinetic Creative Case Study

PREFACE As graphic design majors, Design for Public Issues is an essential part of our curriculum. Each year our professor, Leslie Friesen, selects a local non-profit for the class to rebrand. Due to our class being much larger than past groups, we had three organizations. It was a learning experience not only for us, but for Leslie as well. Because there were more groups to keep up with, we had more freedom in determining how we wanted to manage our group.

Not only did this class provide us with rebranding experience, it also allowed our class to engage in the community as well as with each other. It is important to experience a “real-world” scenario before graduation, and it helped up to improve professional skills.

This presentation sums up our creative process over the past semester. It shows our struggles, our successes, and our growth, but also our group’s rebranding concept for the Kentucky Resources Council.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DEFINE PAGE 4

PRODUCE

PAGE 26

RESEARCH

EXPLORE

DEVELOP & REFINE

EVALUATE

PAGE 9

PAGE 29

PAGE 16

PAGE 42

SELECT PAGE 20

1: DEFINE

FIRST DAY

AUGUST 22

Ask any college student how they feel about group projects, and you’ll most likely get an overwhelming response of groans and eye-rolls. Why? Well, group work requires a lot of trust. You have to trust people to pull their weight, and if you’re placed in a group of people you don’t know very well, that can be difficult.

As a product of being in the same cohort together for three years, our class has the benefit of being pretty tight-knit. Up until recently, however, we haven’t really worked in teams, so we still didn’t quite know what we were getting into in this class. Despite being friends already, we had a lot to learn about working collaboratively, especially as creatives.

Our first day of class was spent getting our group assignments, and discussing what it takes to be successful while working together.

Communication is an integral part of having a successful team. Having a clear understanding of task interdependencies, expected reciprocity, and timelines and goals of the project is necessary.

Kinetic Creative Case Study

1: Define

PREP FOR CLIENT MEETING

AUGUST 24

The first step to working for an organization is meeting with the client. However, since we’ve never met with clients before, we had a practice client meeting. We assigned roles within our group: note takers and diagrammers, a discussion leader, and a photographer. Our professor, Leslie, invited volunteers from the design community for us to mock interview.

We learned a lot about how our group functioned, and were able to make adjustments to our strategy before we met with our real clients.

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

1: Define

TEAM NAME

AUGUST 28

Prior to our first client meeting, we spent some time coming up with a name for our group. Even though naming our team is a small detail in the grand scheme of things, we had a lot of fun brainstorming ideas together. We ended up choosing “Kinetic Creative� and even came up with a logo for our little design agency.

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

1: Define

CLIENT MEETING

AUGUST 29

After doing some preliminary research on the company, we met with Tom, Liz and Sarah Lynn from the Kentucky Resources Council. Our client meeting helped us learn more about the company from those who know it best.

Prior to the meeting, we had written up a list of questions and topics we wanted to cover. This way we could steer the conversation in a way that would better help us to determine our approach to the rebrand. We gained information about what their primary goals were for our redesign, and were then able to take that information and compile it into a creative brief. The creative brief would then be able to ensure that our group, as well as our client, remained on the same page during this process.

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2: RESEARCH

Kinetic Creative Case Study

2: Research

THE BEFORE Before getting started on our redesign, we took some time to look over the materials that were currently being used by KRC. We had access to the website, logo, and current brochure. After looking through all of the materials we were able to assess what we needed to address in our redesign.

Their materials as a whole were simply outdated.

For this reason, the logo is not very versatile and the type is difficult to read, especially on a small scale.

The state of Kentucky may be where the organization resides, but it does not relate to what KRC does for its community. The brochure featured the same typography as the logo and was also very text heavy.

While it did adequately describe what KRC is and what they do, it needed to be parsed down. Finally, the website had not been touched in about 20 years.

With the growing use of new technology and ever-evolving user-experience design, it was too cluttered to be effective. Some organization and breathing room could make a world of difference.

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

2: Research

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CREATIVE BRIEF

Kentucky Resources Council Mission of Project:

List of Deliverables:

To represent KRC as an active and trustworthy organization committed to the protection and representation of Kentucky’s environment and those who reside there. Create a cohesive brand identity that enhances the organization’s perception, yet ensures stability and respect while remaining relevant and contemporary. Develop materials and methods of outreach and communication to current and potential target audiences.

// Logo Redesign

Audiences:

// Merchandise:

Project should raise awareness of KRC and the organization’s services to the general public of Kentucky. It should educate and inspire involvement of the community and motivate them to action. It should also promote relationships that sustain the organization and maintain its health and success.

// Brand Standards // General Brand Materials:

Business cards, letterhead, envelope, legislature

// Website // Promotional Materials:

Brochure, social media templates, newsletter templates, table hardware T-shirts, stickers, bumper stickers, buttons

// Supporters of the organization’s mission Donors, volunteers, community supporters

// General Public

Community of Kentucky, Education of younger audience

// Advocacy

Legislators, Media

Tonality of Brand: Trustworthy, approachable, respected, credible, transparent, activism, competent, reputable, sincere, and dedicated.

Kaytie White E // kdwhit11@louisville.edu P // 812.595.6299

AUDIENCE RESEARCH PRESENTATION

AUGUST 31

Trysh Wahlig, Director of Research at Studio/lab, came to talk to us about different research techniques. Creativity and analysis is an important way to clarify information, build brand identity, create meaningful interactions, and help to tell a compelling story.

Trysh recommended different ways to go about the process of gathering audience research so that we would then be able to apply those methods when researching for our client. One of those methods included using post it notes to jot down our thoughts so that we were able pin point our target audience.

Kinetic Creative Case Study

2: Research

AUDIENCE RESEARCH

SEPTEMBER 5-7

Due to time constraints, we were only able to do a little bit of audience research, but it was a valuable part of our experience. One of KRC’s goals is to reach out to the newer generations in order to educate them, gain their support, and recruit volunteers. Therefore, we decided to focus our attention on millennials.

Volunteers aren’t KRC’s only goal however, as donors are the reason they are able to do what they do. That being said, we also chose to gather research on companies that may become donors.

We divided and conquered and were able to gather information from several different sources.

We interviewed students from Greek Life, local businesses, and professionals in the area. Liz also gave us access to a survey they conducted in 2011 which asked current donors and friends their opinions on KRC. Looking through this information gave us a better idea of how the public currently perceives the organization.

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

2: Research

VISIT TO HUMANA DEC

SEPTEMBER 12

The Humana Digital Experience Center is an innovative group of creatives and engineers who work together to create new user experiences. Our class spent a morning visiting their workspace in order to learn more about ways to co-create.

Former CA&D graduate, Becki Hyde, taught us about their design studio method of working.

Essentially, you grab some blank paper and sharpies, set a timer, and sketch for short blocks of time. In between rounds all of the sketches are presented to the group and discussed. This ensures that any and all ideas are getting out of our heads so that the rest of the group can play off of them.

One of the most difficult parts of working together is presenting ideas that are not fully formed. It requires a lot of trust and acceptance. Spending some time working in the design studio method allowed our group to get more comfortable sharing our ideas, and gave us the opportunity to come up with unique solutions to the problem we were given.

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COMING TOGETHER

SEPTEMBER 14

After a week of audience research and our workshop at Humana, we came together to discuss our notes from our interviews, as well as our preliminary ideas for the rebrand. We had created a Pinterest board so that we could begin compiling inspiration for our design, including colors, textures, photo treatments, and logo styles. Talking about what elements we felt were working on each example helped us to narrow down what we were each looking for, and ensure that we were all on the same page.

3: EXPLORE

Kinetic Creative Case Study

3: Explore

IDEATION

SEPTEMBER 19

Using the Design Studio Method presented to us at Humana, and recalling what we went over in the previous class while reviewing our inspiration, we sketched in five minute rounds. After each round we hung our sketches up and talked about which ideas were working the best.

After a few rounds of this, we had a lot of ideas to work with, many of which we would never have come up with had we been working individually. We also spent some time looking at color palettes.

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

3: Explore

LOGO CONCEPTS

SEPTEMBER 21

One thing that our group struggled with during our first two rounds of sketching was creating a look for the rebrand without first having a logo. Working in a group means that everyone has different work flows, and some of us are used to working on the logo for a design before we decide on the other elements.

We worked on filling in the gaps and spent some time concepting logos for the organization. Because we had already opened up communication within our group by using the design studio method for our initial layout ideas, we were able to communicate more effectively while coming up with ideas for the logo. Instead of utilizing the design studio method and sketching in 5 minute rounds, we all worked together at once, freely exchanging ideas as we thought of them. This way we still had the benefit of playing off of one another’s ideas, without the confines of working individually for blocks of time.

This was a really great work day for us. We accomplished a lot and had a lot of fun bouncing ideas off of one another. As we mentioned before, when working in groups communication is key, so we worked on getting our ideas out of our heads and into a form we could share with one another. We made good use of our process boards by separating the styles we were considering into 3 different directions.

We also took some time to organize our work space and hang up our Kinetic Creative logo.

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

3: Explore

LOGO EDITING

SEPTEMBER 26

We had spent time outside of class working on more logo concepts, so the next step to tackle was narrowing down our best ideas. We pinned all of our sketches up and discussed which concepts we felt were the most effective.

After making some edits and refining some of the ideas we selected the five we thought could be continued into the flushed out directions we would present to our clients.

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4: SELECT

Kinetic Creative Case Study

4: Select

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

OCTOBER 3-5

In the previous two classes we worked to organize our ideas into three main groups. After evaluating them again, however, we realized that instead of three separate ideas we really only had two. Once we had defined the two looks we were going for, we split into two groups to work on flushing out our directions to present at our next client meeting.

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FIELDTRIP PRESENTATION

OCTOBER 12

Field Trip is a local branding and marketing agency in Louisville. Three of their designers, two of which are alumni of our program, came to give us tips on presentation techniques as we prepared to pitch our concepts at our second client meeting.

They talked about pacing our presentation and ensuring that we gave our clients plenty of time to view our designs before moving on to discuss them.

Another highlight was stressing the importance of addressing our work as something “we” did, not “I”. They also discussed how our presentations should have a narrative arc. We’re telling a story about our work and how we got there.

After speaking to our class as a whole, each designer took a group and gave us more individualized advice as we ran through our presentations with us. They also gave us critiques on our designs in general.

Kinetic Creative Case Study

4: Select

MAKING PROGRESS

OCTOBER 17-19

Due to scheduling conflicts, our group had an extra week to prepare for our client presentation. While the other two groups occupied the studio for their presentations, our group made use of one of the library’s study rooms.

We took the advice we received during our meeting with Fieldtrip and worked on editing both our deliverables as well as organizing our presentation.

While we were disappointed at having less time to work on our final deliverables, we were able to further refine the two concepts we presented.

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

4: Select

OPTION 1 Our first option leaned towards more abstract design and grew out of the heavily conceptual logo.

The symbols within the logo stood for the individual (circle), a unified platform (line), and the protection that KRC provides to the state of Kentucky (rectangle). Option 1’s color palette represented natural resources including air, water systems, and earth. We also used macro photography to emphasize the resources that KRC protects and the issues they work with.

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

4: Select

OPTION 2 Our second option had a more traditional feel and a brighter color palette, as well as a generous use of white space to give a very clean look. This option’s logo, an abbreviated form of Kentucky Resources Council, was a shield that shows an abstracted landscape of land, a river, and the sky. Rather than macro photography, we used monoline patterns of wind, water, and wood grain to accent the color palette.

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5: DEVELOP & REFINE

Kinetic Creative Case Study

5: Develop & Refine

CLIENT MEETING

OCTOBER 24

After weeks of hard work, we were so excited to finally present our two directions to the representatives of the Kentucky Resources Council.

Due to extenuating circumstances, Tom was unable to make it to the meeting, but Sarah Lynn, Liz, and Mimi each gave positive feedback on both of our designs. We knew that especially without Tom present, the decision between the two would be difficult.

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FEEDBACK

OCTOBER 26-31

Going off of a recommendation from Fieldtrip, we chose to distribute sticky notes to each of the representatives so that they would be able to take notes during our presentation. This way, instead of stopping in the middle of our presentation to address concerns, we were able to talk about everything at the end.

After we were finished presenting, Leslie collected the notes and we went through them as a group. This also ensured that each representative was able to make comments as they pleased, without fear of judgment.

The response to Option 1 was overall very positive. A strong benefit is that its out of the box approach ensured that it would never be mistaken for a similar organization. However, Sarah Lynn, Liz, and Mimi felt that it was occasionally too dark and heavy. They also pointed out that the “Ignite” in our “Ignite, Unite, Protect” slogan alluded to explosions during mining, which could potentially be a touchy subject.

Option 2 also received a lot of positive feedback. As the more traditional option, they felt that it exuded reliability and expertise. They also enjoyed the use of the patterns, and the slogan “Keeping the Bluegrass Green”. On the flip side, they felt that the generous use of white space leaned a little too sterile, and they wanted to use the entire name of the organization as the primary logo, instead of the abbreviated KRC.

Kinetic Creative Case Study

5: Develop & Refine

FINAL PRODUCT

NOVEMBER 2-30

After hearing that Option 1 was chosen, we went to work on revising our design. First, we went back to our logo and made minor tweaks—thickening the text, centering the rectangle around “KY”, and adjusting leading. Our next step was to brighten our color palette with the more vibrant orange from our other concept. From here, we split up individually so that we could finish all of our deliverables. Our group was able to create stationery, merchandise, tabling materials, a brochure, and a website. We also created a brand standards manual and documented our work with a visual inventory and case study book.

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6: PRODUCE

Kinetic Creative Case Study

6: Produce

FINAL LOGO

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

6: Produce

STATIONERY

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Mailing Envelope

Letterhead

7 September 2017

Mr. Client Resources Inc. 2000 Kentucky Lane Louisville, Kentucky 000000

Business Cards

Dear Mr. Client,

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Pri quas audiam virtute ut, case utamur fuisset eam ut, iisque accommodare an eam.

Reque blandit qui eu, cu vix nonumy volumus. Legendos intellegam id usu, vide oporteat vix eu, id illud principes has. Nam tempor utamur gubergren no. Ex soleat habemus usu, te nec eligendi deserunt vituperata. Natum consulatu vel ea, duo cetero repudiare efficiendi cu.

Sincerely,

TOM FITZGERALD

DIRECTOR

Tom Fitzgerald

FITZKRC.AOL.COM 502.875.2428 KYRC.ORG Kentucky Resources Council Inc., P.O. Box 1070, Frankfort, KY 40602 Phone: 502 875 2428

Fax: 502 875 2845

fitzKRC@aol.com

www.kyrc.org

Kinetic Creative Case Study

BROCHURE

6: Produce

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

TABLING MATERIALS

6: Produce

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

6: Produce

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WEBSITE

LANDING PAGE

On our landing page,

we designed a pop-out navigation menu. This keeps the landing page clean, and emphasizes our slogan. Clicking on the hamburger icon in the bottom lefthand corner reveals the links to the rest of the website.

Kinetic Creative Case Study

WEBSITE

TAKE ACTION

6: Produce

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

WEBSITE

CONTACT

6: Produce

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

WEBSITE

WHAT WE DO

6: Produce

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

WEBSITE

WHO WE ARE

6: Produce

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

6: Produce

SOCIAL MEDIA

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Kinetic Creative Case Study

6: Produce

VOLUNTEER KIT

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7: EVALUATE

Kinetic Creative Case Study

7: Evalu

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FROM BEGINNING TO END

NOVEMBER 29

As we’ve worked on making this case study, it’s been fun to go back and see how our ideas have evolved.

Back in September when we were jotting down ideas on sticky notes, we had no idea which sketches would evolve into our final mark. Haphazard Sharpie sketches on scrap pieces of paper went on to become vector art, and somewhere along the way it became difficult to trace who came up with the idea in the first place. We ended up creating something that we each had a role in, and that we are all proud of.

September 21

September 26

October 12

November 2

THE END Three months later, our time as Kinetic Creative has come to an end.

Overall, our team functioned really well together. Things weren’t always perfect, we definitely had our days where we felt there was no progress being made, but we worked together to persevere and problem solve until we got out of our creative ruts. Through it all, we learned a lot.

We learned that not only is communication within our “design agency” important, but also communication with the client.

We learned about compromise, because when you’re working in a group of seven designers not everyone can do things their own way.

We learned that life happens, and that sometimes we have to work around things that are out of our control.

We also learned just how intensive a rebrand really is, especially a rebrand that has to be completed within three months.

With a little lack of sleep, a copious amount of caffeine, and a healthy amount of sarcasm, our group has not only survived this class, but come out of it as better designers and better friends.