The Seattle Globalist
The Seattle Globalist is a daily online publication dedicated to embracing local pride and highlighting voices that go unrecognized too often with a focus on international connections in the Pacific Northwest. The purpose of this project was to redesign the branding of The Seattle Globalist to create an improved create an improved, user-focused visual system that incorporates all of the unique aspects of the publication’s identity. I aimed to make my brand refresh better system better aligned with The Seattle Globalist’s mission, audience and values.
Skills
Brand Redesign, UI design
Duration
May 2020 - June 2020
Date
4 weeks
Project Goals
Amplifying marginalized voices, local-to-global connections, community building and local pride are the most important focus points of The Seattle Globalist’s mission. I kept these focus areas in mind throughout my redesign process to make sure my new brand guidelines aligned with The Seattle Globalist’s purpose.
Focus Areas
Logo
The logo is meant to symbolize the purpose of The Seattle Globalist and set the tone for the rest of the visual system throughout the site.
My new logo emphasizes the publication’s local significance and dedication to community. The iconic Seattle Space Needle is used as the top of the writing utensil, giving the logo a clear connection to the publication’s perspective. I also used a human hand to highlight The Seattle Globalist’s dedication to their contributors and human connection.
Old Logo
My Logo
The Hand
The Seattle Globalist is very active in the community. They host regular events including journalism workshops, happy hours, travel slideshows and more. I wanted to create a logo that had unique, recognizable imagery that could be used outside the site to increase engagement and recognition. The hand from the logo can be used in merch available to the public at community events to distinguish the brand and attract new readers to the site. Below are samples of merch I created:
Iconography
I chose icons for search, contribute, and donate to use because these were the most emphasized action items I saw as I navigated through the site. The line weights of each icon are the same as the logo, creating a unified visual system. They are recognizable symbols that can be easily scaled, making them effective and aesthetically cohesive.
Search
Contribute
Donate
Color Scheme
The colors I chose to refresh the color palette of the brand reflect The Seattle Globalist’s emphasis on local voices. Seattle is known for its beautiful green nature. The bold and subtle green in this new palette emphasize the natural beauty Seattle is known for as it is a part of the “Evergreen State”. The two greens reinforce the news publication’s mission by utilizing colors most familiar to Seattleites. The two gray tones are meant to bring the journalistic aspect to the site.
Old Color Scheme
My Color Scheme
Typography
For headlines and titles, the typeface I chose was Sabon. It is a classic serif typeface used in many news publications because of its simplicity and legibility. I paired this typeface with Proxima Nova light for body text and website description buttons.
User Interface
The Seattle Globalist heavily relies on donations, but the current process for making a donation is difficult to navigate. My redesign focuses on creating clear indicators to bring attention to a central donation button to emphasize its importance. I created a sample user flow of the interface walking through the process of a user making a donation.
I conceptualized my thought process by creating low fidelity diagrams:
Then, I translated my low fidelity diagrams into High fidelity wireframes to show a sample of what the updated user interface would look like with my brand redesign:
