The UBC Social Exposome Research Cluster studies how the sum of our social and environmental exposures (aka, our exposome) impacts our health. From society to cell, how does it get “under our skin?” This multidisciplinary team tackles a wide range of issues: from nutrition to forest fires, from in-utero chemical exposures to social isolation.

Our challenge was to create a logo that captures their values and the breadth of their work.

Goals:
Reflect the essence of the Social Exposome Cluster. Earn the trust and capture the attention of researchers and decision-makers.

Audience:
Policymakers, prospective funders and research collaborators.

Message:
We are trustworthy, innovative and diverse. Our scope is from society to cell.

Tone:
Professional & dynamic.

Strategy:
I developed a mark that uses the visual vernacular of science.

I chose blue because it evokes trust. I chose a shade of blue that is part of the UBC brand guideline.

I selected the Urbane Rounded typeface to echo the circular elements of the mark. This somewhat playful typeface speaks to the innovative and energetic quality of the brand, letting the overall simplicity of the layout convey a sense of calm and confidence.

Read below to find out more about my process.

Research

After identifying the communication goals, prospective uses and intended audiences for this logo, I did some competitive research to better understand with whom the Social Exposome Cluster was competing for attention.

Logo of other exposome research groups

Use of the original logo in context: other organizations listed as partnering on the same project (in this case, the Feelings First campaign).

In addition to competitive research, I also did some visual research to fuel the ideation phase of this logo design process.

Ideation

Inspired by my visual research, I put pen to paper to generate word associations and thumbnail sketches.

Early Concepts

Informed by my visual research and ideation phase, and keeping in mind the communication goals of the logo, I developed and presented to the client 3 logo concepts.