Brand update - Pueblo Unido

To start, I worked with the founders of Pueblo Unido PDX (PU) in order to understand what the brand should feel like. We needed to give PU a professional look, similar to how many non-profits look and feel today. The brand also needed to evoke a sense of diversity and inclusion, which is a cornerstone of PU's mission.

I started by identifying some clean, crisp, and professional typefaces that would work for the website and the logo. Along with those requirements, I separate requirement I had was that the fonts should be downloadable via Google Fonts (with the exception of the logo font, which would be distinct). That way, anyone would be able to easily find and work with the fonts in case they were working on public-facing digital content. The typefaces chosen were Futura, Barlow, and the system default (Helvetica/Arial depending on OS).

For colors, I wanted to work with bright gradients, while also maintaining simple colors for the majority of the branding. I chose dark blue for buttons and dark backgrounds while maintaining a black-and-white theme for images to ensure easy readability. The black and white provided a professional and clean look, where colors like bold gradients would appear to jump off the page when used.

For the logo, the founders envisioned an image of unity that symbolized the diversity of PU's clients, while also staying rooted in Portland, Oregon. The original logo they used did embody that idea, although it was a bit busy and couldn't be used across all types of media.

The first draft of the logo I made had several hands coming together. It symbolized unity, but didn't link to PU's roots in Portland. The symbol that was chosen later on instead was an image of Mount Hood, an iconic Oregon landmark - coupled with the Rockwood spikes. Rockwood is a neighborhood in Portland where PU was first organized. These two images together create the main image for PU which is instantly recognizable. The gradient symbolizes the diversity of clients in the area (and is a subtle hint to the LGBTQIA+ community).

This new brand, now instantly recognizable and meaningful to PU, worked across all different types of digital content - from social media to the website and newsletters.