For three years, brand design studio Manual has been working to take one of the most recognizable visual identities in global political history and evolve it for a permanent public institution – leading the brand design of the Obama Foundation’s Presidential Center in Chicago. Running across every element of the visitor experience – from physical and digital signage and wall graphics, right down to maps, printed guides and store merchandise, Manual has created a bold, ambitious visual language that translates the Obama Foundation’s mission into a living, physical experience.
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Unlike traditional presidential libraries, the Obama Presidential Center is more campus than archive, sprawling across 19 acres and encompassing a museum, community forum, athletic center and public park. The vast educational space required a design system that endures and informs rather than distracts – ensuring guests’ focus remains on the Center, the stories within it and the experience of being there.
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Initially brought on board in 2023 to explore how the Obama Foundation’s brand would need to adapt for the scale and permanence of the Presidential Center, Manual has since become the Foundation’s prime design partner: overseeing a comprehensive visual design system that ties the whole experience together, captures the Foundation’s purpose and keeps a multitude of internal and external creative collaborators on the same page.
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From the outset, this was more than a conventional identity refresh. The project unfolded in two phases, with the first seeing Manual reimagine the Obama Foundation brand for a new chapter – building on the strong visual equity of the existing Obama logo and Gotham typeface, while giving the Foundation a more cohesive, expressive and flexible identity system it could apply to a wealth of programs, audiences and experiences going forward.
The second phase has now seen Manual bring that identity to life across every inch of the Obama Presidential Center’s physical and digital visitor experience, translating all the energy of the Obama Foundation brand system into a signage and wayfinding program that helps visitors navigate the multi-part experience with confidence. By finding a visual tone that strikes a balance between presidential and approachable, Manual’s design system both informs and delights – thanks to vibrant graphic interventions, thoughtful interpretive moments and clear guidance at every turn.
“This was a rare opportunity for Manual to help shape the visual expression of a new kind of presidential center,” says Manual founder and creative director Tom Crabtree. “Many presidential institutions are formal, historical, and retrospective. The Obama Presidential Center is different. It is active, public-facing, community-centered and forward-looking. It’s all about participation, leadership and action. To play even a small part in its design was a real honor and a career highlight for our studio.”
Manual has already received industry recognition for its work with the Obama Foundation – winning bronze in the Brand Impact Awards nonprofit category in 2024, and earning an honorable mention at the Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards in 2025.
