For two decades, the Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) at the University of Pennsylvania has worked to advance urban planning and policy implementation for researchers and practitioners globally. This milestone anniversary was an opportune time to solidify Penn IUR’s brand identity to work seamlessly across print and digital applications.
As experts in the field, Penn IUR understands the important role that design thinking plays in sustainable urban growth. Its leadership has prioritized thoughtful design in its annual reports and publications through a long-standing partnership with Untuck. Our team took advantage of this history, which provided a rich pool of inspiration, by integrating dynamic photo collages with clearly defined styles for graphic elements, typography, and color. The new system gives structure and life to an already dynamic center and provides Penn IUR with the tools and assets it needs to be stewards of a defined identity.
While remaining grounded in the University of Pennsylvania brand guidelines, we created unique visual elements that Penn IUR could call its own with a heavy focus on dynamic photo collages. These collages pull photos of diverse people, cultures, and urban centers helping to illustrate its global work in climate change, rapid urbanization and development, state and local finance, and housing.
Penn IUR’s 20th anniversary called for big announcements, events, and fanfare, warranting a celebratory symbol for promotional materials. The logo is reminiscent of the 10th-anniversary mark we created in 2014 and falls in line with the blues in the Penn IUR and Penn palettes. A lively animation, signage, social, and more were created for the year-long festivities.
To attain maximum impact and brand consistency, we aligned the new identity with the new Penn IUR website and annual report. By developing concise brand guidelines and standards, we simultaneously activated these touchpoints and provided the Penn IUR communications team with solid governance to implement the new identity into the foreseeable future.
