The CreateWell Fund Visual Identity
In 2021, I had the privilege of revamping the visual identity for the CreateWell Fund. Below is an in-depth case study that explains my process for the redesign. I provide samples of CreateWell’s original visual identity and explain the aspects that weren’t working, as well as the more promising elements that I chose to expand on. I also explain how the thought process behind my design is intrinsically tied to the CreateWell Fund’s goals and values and highlight the assets I created including a versatile logo set and a new website.
About The CreateWell Fund
The CreateWell Fund is an organization that invests in the belief that art is a critical human need through its award-making initiative to individual BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists from racially, socially, and economically oppressed communities. It was founded in 2016 and had been using the same logo since its inception. My goal with the new visual identity for the CreateWell Fund was to have every element, from typography to color palette, be more reflective of the organization’s mission, ideals, and standards.
CreateWell Fund logo, 2021–present.
The CreateWell Fund Visual Identity (2016–2020)
The CreateWell Fund’s old logo had some great elements like the rounded heart icon, which beautifully captures the organization’s focus on community and self-determined care. However, the illustration had too many elements, and the logo wasn’t versatile across platforms. Additionally, the typeface used in the logo is a reflection of white European design, something that does not accurately represent the artistic community that the CreateWell Fund serves. Finally, the visual identity only extended to the logo, there was no defined color palette and no designated typefaces used across media. The website was in a common SquareSpace template, and did not feel unique in its aesthetic.
The CreateWell Fund New Visual Identity (2021–present)
The new visual identity of the CreateWell Fund reflects it’s values and community. It is a move away from Euro-centric design standards and norms in a capitalist industry. I made design choices that allow the CreateWell Fund’s aesthetic to be informed by its community. The new typefaces selected for the visual identity are either designed by BIPoC designers, or are from open-source type foundries founded by BIPoC designers. Our logo design and color palate allow for a variety of uses and color combinations. The increased versatility of the logo gives more agency to those who make future design and graphic work for the organization, and facilitates the same communal sense of involvement that is present in many other aspects of the organization.
The new logo is a simplified version of the original, keeping only the heart and inverted comma from the old design, and swapping out the more detailed graphics for an interchangeable color palette. The typeface used is Karrik, designed by Jean-Baptiste Morizot and Lucas Le Bihan of Velvetyne Type Foundry. The primary typeface for the CreateWell Fund is Halyard Display, from Darden Studio. The secondary typeface is Bilbol NC, designed by Hélène Marian Srodogora of Velvetyne Type Foundry.