PROBLEM TO SOLVE
EnviroIssues is a women-owned firm in Seattle and has made its name within historically male-dominated industries: engineering, transportation, and urban planning. Originally, the firm established its credibility with a conservative, technical identity in the early 1990s. But as the world evolved, that identity no longer reflected the EnviroIssues of today.
For two years, as Creative Director, I led company leadership and the creative team through a rebrand that strove to honor the company’s legacy while boldly championing its community engagement expertise and human-centered values.
EnviroIssues is a women-owned firm in Seattle and has made its name within historically male-dominated industries: engineering, transportation, and urban planning. Originally, the firm established its credibility with a conservative, technical identity in the early 1990s. But as the world evolved, that identity no longer reflected the EnviroIssues of today.
For two years, as Creative Director, I led company leadership and the creative team through a rebrand that strove to honor the company’s legacy while boldly championing its community engagement expertise and human-centered values.
SOLUTION
EnviroIssues’ original identity, rooted in conservative, technical aesthetics, no longer reflected the organization’s evolving, human-centered mission. The updated identity is anchored by the EnviroIssues Quilt: a modular, geometric logo built from the letterforms in the company name. It is supported by a simplified “EI” alternate mark, for smaller applications.
The refreshed brand:
- evokes a soft structure, symbolizing the human work EnviroIssues does within the built environment
- dualy draws on legacy and future-facing themes:
curiosity, creativity, and innovation
- echoes common elements throughout its flexible design system
-
employs a vibrant and
unexpected palette
-
diverges from typical government identities
Note: The brand system presented here reflects the final direction developed under my leadership. After my departure, the internal team made slight refinements to the color palette as part of the rollout process. See the live brand here.
ICON SYSTEM
As a communications and engagement consultancy, EnviroIssues needed an icon set for use in proposals and marketing materials. I built each icon using the shapes that compose the EnviroIssues Quilt logo. This flexible design system represents every aspect of EnviroIssues life, offering both consistency and creative range across brand touchpoints.