Rollin Poe revitalizes SFU Cognitive Science
The Scope Reworking a brand
Simon Fraser University's Cognitive Science Student Society represents and helps all Cognitive Science students as well as each sub discipline (Computing Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology). However, their branding has largely fallen by the wayside. Working off old artifacts I set to recreate and modernize the branding.
SFU's Cognitive Science department, likewise suffers from a lack of branding. Working off a single old photo and toy brain, I am working to re-establish the logo and uses for the department.
Time: April, 2020 — Present
Status: Ongoing*
A Couple Key Aspects
- Modernize an old brand
- Recreate and adapt design based off few artifacts
- Establish a style guide for the organization
Starting From An Abandoned Brand
Cognitive Science Student Society Rebranded
The Cognitive Science Student Society (CS3) at Simon Fraser University represents the interests of all cognitive science students, as well as students from each of the four core sub-disciplines (computing science, linguistics, philosophy, and psychology). They organize events such as game nights, study sessions, and talks with professors, as well as represent student interests at faculty meetings and to outside organizations.
Despite, or perhaps because of, all the important work they do, CS3’s branding had fallen by the wayside reduced to naught but a logo on a few posters and vague memories passed down from executive board to executive board. I set out to change that by revitalizing the CS3 brand.
Starting from The ground up
Colour
The Cognitive Science Student Society had a motif of orange and red going for them that they wanted to maintain. I pulled in the few print artifacts that existed, before iteratively trying out colour variations of each colour individually, then later in pairs.
Typeface
Looking towards longevity and ease of use I knew the new typefaces should be easily accessible from foundries such as Google Fonts. Given the diverse set disciplines CS3 represents, typefaces would not only need to evoke the different facets of the student union, but also be robust to varied use cases. In the end three main typefaces were chosen:
- Josefin Sans: For headings and the main wordmark. Josefin Sans is an elegant typeface with strong geometric elements and art-deco flourishes. The modern sans-serif reflects cognitive science as a new discipline, while the subtle stylings evokes the long tradition of each component discipline. Having the wordmark entirely in lowercase keeps the student union from feeling t0o stiff and formal, and rather give a welcoming and friendly vibe where anyone can find a place to contribute.
- Josefin Slab: For subheadings and the lettermark. Josefin Slab is the sister font to Josefin Serif, and grounds the geometric nature of the two with the strong slab serifs. The gentle curves balance off the linear serifs where we once again get a nice interplay between something evoking Scandinavian design by way of a typewriter.
- Fira: For main body copy. Fira (in all its associated families) fills the role of main body copy. It is a humanist sans-serif that has character but maintains its readability on both screen and print (as seen in FirefoxOS, New Zealand Government, etc.). Importantly for the Cognitive Science Student Society, extensions to the family such as FiraCode, FiraMono, and FiraGO allow for CS3 to display programming code, linguistic IPA pronunciations, and use languages other than English, all while staying within brand.
Final Typefaces
Logo Progression
The main logo features the "C" and "S" of cognitive science as the base around which a connectionist network (a hallmark of the field) is placed. Early iterations had too much symmetry and similarly sized nodes. Later iterations (and proper colouration) would increase the dynamism of logo by shifting how the connections of the network formed the letters as well as further differentiating the sizes of the nodes.
Putting it All Together An New Brand
Cognitive Science Student Society
From what was once abandoned, I worked with the executives of the Simon Fraser University’s Cognitive Science Student Society to revitalize their visual branding and design language, giving it a fresh modern look while staying true to the roots of the discipline. While maintaining a few core elements they wished to keep, I expanded their options with a view to future longevity. A full set of logos, wordmarks, and social media banners were delivered, as well as a detailed style and branding guide for future endeavors.