McCOLL center - rebrand - 2021 - lead designer - ww
A new identity for Charlotte’s artist residency and contemporary art space: a dimensional M that frames the work of the artists inside it, so the logo can change with every residency
The Challenge
McColl Center was simplifying its name and renewing its commitment to “artists first”: championing the residents who make work in its studios. The old mark felt dated, and the new identity needed to put the artists, not the institution, at the center.
McColl Center was simplifying its name and renewing its commitment to “artists first”: championing the residents who make work in its studios. The old mark felt dated, and the new identity needed to put the artists, not the institution, at the center.
The Idea
Artists inside the box. I drew the M as a geometric, dimensional box, standing for the building and the residency, and left its center open. That negative space is a frame: any resident’s work can fill it, so the logo can change with every exhibition, every season, every post. Infinite art, one mark. For everyday use and signage, a solid black-and-white version keeps it grounded.
Artists inside the box. I drew the M as a geometric, dimensional box, standing for the building and the residency, and left its center open. That negative space is a frame: any resident’s work can fill it, so the logo can change with every exhibition, every season, every post. Infinite art, one mark. For everyday use and signage, a solid black-and-white version keeps it grounded.
The System
Variable-art logo and black-and-white everyday logo · directional signage built from the M’s angled planes · social and digital templates for workshops, residencies, open calls and donor drives · direct mail · gallery program, business cards and web design direction.
Variable-art logo and black-and-white everyday logo · directional signage built from the M’s angled planes · social and digital templates for workshops, residencies, open calls and donor drives · direct mail · gallery program, business cards and web design direction.
