GovWorks
Job:12-84823 Title:RP-Graphic Design That Works (LDW)
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Text (DS)
Client
GovWorks is an online portal connecting
local governments and constituents.
DESIGNERS
Carlos Sanchez, Craig Stout
FIRM
St. Aubyn
Process
As an international company that provides a link between local governments and
constituents, GovWorks hoped for a logo that was simple enough so that it could be
translatable across a wide variety of cultures. And yet, as a start up, GovWorks also
hoped for a logo that somehow conveyed the new company’s values and goals. With
these two parameters in mind, the design team at the Manhattan-based firm St.
Aubyn began by researching the client to come up with a visual that succinctly
described GovWork’s core message. “We found that the message at the heart of the
company was one of passion and idealism, a commitment to a new way of doing
things,” says Maria V. Nunes, a partner at St. Aubyn. To visually convey this mes-
sage, the team explored different kinds of imagery in hopes of finding a symbol that
would be recognizable worldwide as representing passion and idealism. The solu-
tion, says Nunes, was the standard bearer. “Whenever a really important human
accomplishment has occurred—whether it be the discovery of new lands or walking
on the moon—it tends to be marked by the planting of a flag,” she explains. “So
that’s what we sought to translate into a visual identity.” Composed in Illustrator, the
mark evolved into a pared-down stick figure holding a flag, a design whose simple
lines ensure easy reproduction across a range of applications. Next, the company’s
name was set in a modified Verdana, but the final step, color, presented a bit of a
challenge, says Nunes. “There were a number of colors that we didn’t want to go
near,” she explains. “A white flag means surrender. The environmental movement
owns a green flag. A red flag, to some people, signifies Communism, while a black
flag recalls a brand of mosquito repellent.” The team decided to use orange, a color
that conveys a sense of vibrancy and energy and is not linked to any one particular
country or political movement.
What Works
The logo, a stylized stick figure holding a flag, is meant to symbolize leadership,
unity, and positive change.
Graphic Design That Works
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