New Brand Identity For Community-Focused Journalists
Civic News Company is headlining a new brand identity by strategy and design company SYLVAIN. An independent organization behind some some of the country’s leading nonprofit newsrooms, Civic is seeking to provide and encourage unbiased and community-focused coverage on important issues facing Americans today. The organization came to SYLVAIN to help build their brand foundation. The result: a refined mission, values and identity system that reflect the optimism and care evident in their journalism.
Inspired by the local reporting that Civic does, SYLVAIN leaned into the connectedness of neighborhoods and communities, which manifests in the wordmark and symbol. The tight stacking of the letterforms give the impression of clear pathways created between them.
The brand’s mission and optimism comes to life in the color palette — bright, tonal greens with supporting blues that conveny energy and forward movement while avoiding the political connotations that saturated reds and blues can bring.
SYLVAIN created a flexible identity system that supports Civic’s ambitions for growth. At the center of the system is an ownable holding shape for the sub-brand names and news localities to live in. The shape can also flex to support any new beats that Civic pursues in the future.
The identity also takes inspiration from classic Americana and old-school public broadcasting, striking a balance between the familiar and the modern. The resulting identity system communicates a brand that’s both trustworthy and forward-thinking, a rising leader in civic journalism.
