The SoCIETIE Project
Client: SoCIETIE
Year: 2024
Group Members: Jordyn Erdeljac (communication), Hugo Su (communication, mock ups), Moby Westwood (graphic design, ideation, communication)
Project Brief
The SoCIETIE Initiative is an alternative learning program based on community outreach and social change set to launch in February of 2025. The aim of this project was to create an effective visual identity for SoCITIE that could be applied in a range of deliverables such as branding, a Website, Internal uses, etc. The client Chris Brown, founder of SoCIETIE, wanted a visual identity with a firm story that related to both the Australian National University (ANU), and SoCIETIE’s mission.
One key constraint for this project was ANU adjacent branding. The ANU have very rigid marketing guidelines and because SoCIETIE would be an ANU based program, it’s visually identity needed to be easily adaptable to meet these standards.
Process
The process for this project was centralised on client communication. For 12 weeks we conducted weekly meetings with Chris and other key stakeholders to determine which of our design routes resonated best with our Client’s needs. Through this process an enormous amount of different logo’s were generated with varying justifications linking them to ANU and SoCIETIE. Each meeting refined our approach eventually generating the idea to base the visual Identity on three leading concepts; Sullivans Creek, KNOTs and a hub and spoke system.
Outcomes
The outcomes of this project were a Logo suite, Brand Mascot, set of digital badges, ANU adjacent alternatives and a brand guidelines book.
Logo suite
The final logo mark is based on three concepts. First the thee hubs of the logo are intended to resemble knots along a rope. This is because of SoCIETIE’s principle; to Know the Nature Of Things. The flowing spoke between the hubs resembles Sullivan’s creek. Like SoCIETIE aims to connect trans disciplinary students and teachers, the creek connects the ANU campus. Finally, the logo is more broadly based on a hub and spoke system in the shape of an “S” for its relevance to SoCIETIE’s name and purpose.
The colours of the logo were selected for their geographic relevance to be ANU campus. The blue representing Lake Burley Griffin, the green representing the broader campus, and the bright yellow representing Kambri, the communal hub of ANU. Variex OT was selected for the logo type because of ta clean harp edges and interesting forms that convey professionalism whilst maintaining visual interest.
Appealing to a ping demon graphic was a key point of importance for SoCIETIE. To resolve this requirement I designed “Knox”, in a cartoon style to be used across SoCIETIE’s branding. His purpose is to give SoCIETIE’s branding life as seperate it frI’m corporate branding.
Knox’s form is based a a knot, resembling SoCIETIE’s principle to Know the Nature Of Things. More specifically, the metaphor behind "Knox" draws from rich symbolic references, blending the "monkey’s fist" and the "Gordian Knot" to represent a problem that tightens the more you pull at it—an intractable challenge requiring a shift in thinking to resolve. Just as Alexander the Great famously cut through the Gordian Knot, breaking free from the complexity it represented, Knox evokes the idea that only a fundamental change in approach can untangle such problems.
This concept ties into Gödel’s Loophole, a mathematical metaphor highlighting how initial breakthroughs are the hardest to achieve, but once done, subsequent solutions become easier. Together, these symbols create a powerful narrative: Knox is not just a problem, but a challenge that demands bold, unconventional thinking to solve—once cracked, everything else falls into place.
Brand Mascot
A key deliverable were the digital badges that could be earned by students by completing certain aspects of SoCIETIE’s course structure. These needed to clearly represent their intended conten whilst remaining in line with the established visual identity. Knox was the perfect solution. In each of the badges Knox is put into a situation that reflects the content of the badge.
Digital Badges
ANU Adjacent
For all ANU adjacent branding I simply applied to their rigid guidelines to my designs. This involved changing colour and type to adhere to ANU standards.
Brand Guidelines Book
The Brand Guidelines Book collates all of this information into a succinct 90 page document. This portrays the different ways each design deliverable can be applied and goes over things that should not be done with SoCIETIE branding. The book also covers colour and typeface choices and provides extensive exemplars of the branding in use.
