DATUM
Brand Identity
Transdisciplinary Studio / 2019
With 2020 US Census
This project was done at Art Center College of Design in a Transdisciplinary Studio in collaboration with 2020 US Census Los Angeles County officials and experts. The project was developed with myself and two other designers, one product designer and one interaction designer. Our work was displayed at Los Angeles City Hall in Downtown, Los Angeles.
Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X are among “hard-to-count” groups during the 2020 US Census. In order to bring Census data to this demographic and promote participation in the Census, our solution was to create a brand, called DATUM, with data-driven Census merch which had an accompanying website that was populated with Census infographics and a unique customization process. The goal of the brand was to reach this demographic through digital exposure (a favored mode of communication among them) as well as cater to their affinity for using merch, clothing, and accessories to represent something that they value.
I decided to make the logotype a monospaced font in order to convey the systematic quality of the brand’s inspiration, which was previous Census spreadsheets.
The neutral color palette of the logo and textiles was a conscious decision that I made to signal the neutral and unbiased nature of the US Census.
The highlighted detail on each piece represents a number that is directly related to a program that is funded based on that piece of data, which was retrieved by that person’s participation in the US Census.
A personalized card includes the person’s participation status, the programs that affect them and their community specifically (based on how they answered an interactive quiz designed by our interaction designer), and directives on how to answer the Census. This comes with every order that is made through the DATUM website.
In a social media campaign for the Census rollout, highlighted programs reach our target audience, periodic countdown posts direct them to appropriate informational links, and information about how the data used is transparent.
Credits:
Brand Identity Catherine J. Buan
Interaction Design Anna Kang
Product Design Nancy Tsai
Photography Michael Stahlberg