Initiated brand refresh, Executed brand refresh, Designed brand guide, Copywriting
I was the sole designer on this project. I worked directly with the CEO of Grindline Skateparks during the project.
Founded in the Pacific Northwest by a group of renegade skaters in the early 2000s, Grindline's DIY roots run deep. After nearly 20 years of designing and building world class concrete skateparks, Grindline has come to believe that skateparks are more than just places to skate. A Grindline skatepark brings communities together.
I was the sole visual designer on the Grindline team. From proposals and marketing collateral to merchandise and apparel, I gave the Grindline brand a complete overhaul.
Because of their altruistic mission, Grindline hoped to be seen as inviting and community driven, but their existing visual language was intimidating to those unfamiliar with skate culture and the company’s vision.
Grindline’s original wordmark. It was used by the company from 2002-2019.
Every employee at Grindline was making use of different graphics and type. There was a need to establish brand standards to ensure consistency. Below are several of the many logos being used by employees.
Grindline’s brand needed to appeal to two very different groups: skateboarders and local government officials. I considered the preferences of the two groups in order to uncover areas where their desires overlapped.
Skaters were attracted to Grindline’s authenticity. They saw Grindline’s DIY ethic as a reflection of their own values. Fans of the company love Grindline’s commitment to craftsmanship and quality.
When spending taxpayer money, local governments want to feel like they can trust the companies they do business with. They’re looking to work with professionals who can deliver a quality product that will last.
Grindline’s brand needed to feel real and honest while still conveying a high level of professionalism. It needed to reflect the same strength and stability as Grindline’s concrete skateparks.
Because Grindline is a small company, every employee is responsible for implementing the brand within their own work. Branding might be second nature for designers, but for a company composed of construction workers it can be difficult and frustrating. As I chose a typeface and designed a wordmark, I kept Grindline’s employees at the forefront of my mind. I wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to implement the brand.
Franklin Gothic comes preloaded on Windows machines, so employees could easily implement the typeface across all their communications. From a visual perspective, Franklin Gothic is frank, honest, and professional—a perfect fit for Grindline.
Grindline’s old wordmark had been rendered in a custom typeface which the company no longer had access to. I chose to render Grindline’s new wordmark in Franklin Gothic Heavy. At this weight, the font conveys strength and stability. Employees can easily imitate the wordmark in programs like Word, Excel, and Outlook if they have trouble finding image files on the company server.
The new brand guide needed to be easy follow since Grindline employees would be responsible for implementing the brand within their own work. Employees needed to understand how to implement the brand and where they could find the assets necessary to do so.
Rather than simply explain proper implementation, I created visual diagrams to show it. I also featured examples of improper implementation based on things I’d seen employees do in the past. These examples are not just inconsistent with the brand, they are also not accessible. Proper implementation is indicated with a check mark, improper implementation with an X. Improper examples are accompanied by an explanation of what to do instead.
The filepath for each asset is featured in its description. Once employees understand how to use the asset, they can find it on the server with ease. If ever they forget where the asset is saved, they can always refer back to the guide.
Grindline obtains new business through a proposal process. The company’s was awarded just 8% of the jobs it proposed in 2017. The brand refresh was implemented mid-way through 2018, and by the end of the year Grindline had been awarded 18% of the projects it proposed. In 2019, the rate of success rose again to 35%. Was the brand refresh solely responsible for this dramatic increase in successful proposals? No—but it certainly helped.
The museum asked for a guestbook. We designed an emotional experience that connects real people.
For those about to rock, purchasing an effects pedal just got easier.
