CASE STUDY—

CASE STUDY—

systems design lab

systems design lab

• STRATEGY
• BRANDING
• WEB DESIGN
• COLLATERAL

• STRATEGY
• BRANDING
• WEB DESIGN

SDL-casestudy1

ABOUT—

Systems Design Lab works with social sector organizations. They embrace the complexities of systemic problems with human-centered solutions for sustainable growth and social impact.

Systems Design Lab works with social sector organizations and embraces the complexities of systemic problems with human-centered solutions for sustainable growth and social impact.

Systems Design Lab works with social sector organizations. They embrace the complexities of systemic problems with human-centered solutions for sustainable growth and social impact.

Systems Design Lab works with social sector organizations. They embrace the complexities of systemic problems with human-centered solutions for sustainable growth and social impact.

Systems Design Lab works with social sector organizations. They embrace the complexities of systemic problems with human-centered solutions for sustainable growth and social impact.

2021-2022

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Brand Strategy
Branding Design
Website Design
Collateral

CLIENT'S CHALLENGE—

After a couple of years of partnership and having a few clients on their list as Systems Design Lab, Emma & Ke came to me wanting to officially establish their business and brand to be seen in a more professional way.

Their challenge was not knowing how they could stand out in an industry where traditional models are the norm and there's resistance to change. They wanted to build a business and brand identity that highly differentiated them from other organizations—one that showcased their values, knowledge and expertise, while also highlighting their fun, casual, and friendly personality their clients connected with.

The goal was to intentionally disrupt the traditional industry model in their own unique way.

After a couple of years of partnership and having a few clients on their list as Systems Design Lab, Emma & Ke came to me wanting to officially establish their business and brand to be seen in a more professional way.

Their challenge was not knowing how they could stand out in an industry where traditional models are the norm and there's resistance to change. They wanted to build a business and brand identity that highly differentiated them from other organizations—one that showcased their values, knowledge and expertise, while also highlighting their fun, casual, and friendly personality their clients connected with.

The goal was to intentionally disrupt the traditional industry model in their own unique way.

THE GOALS—

01.

To have a brand identity that differentiates us from the organizations they used to work with.

To have a brand identity that differentiates us from the organizations they used to work with.

To have a brand identity that differentiates us from the organizations they used to work with.

02.

Have a clear way of describing what they do and who they work with.

Have a clear way of describing what they do and who they work with.

Have a clear way of describing what they do and who they work with.

03.

Feeling centered, anchored, and energized to build the business and brand.

Feeling centered, anchored, and energized to build the business and brand.

Feeling centered, anchored, and energized to build the business and brand.

Feeling centered, anchored, and energized to build the business and brand.

Emma and Ke swapping glasses and laughing at each other.

—

Radical change starts with radical changes.

Radical change starts with radical changes.

Radical change starts with radical changes.

Radical change starts with radical changes.

SYSTEMS DESIGN LAB

THE SOLUTION—

We dove deep into Emma and Ke's mission and why to extract the essence of why Systems Design Lab matters. Through the brand strategy process, we positioned them as a consulting agency that is driven by human-centered solutions, while embracing the complexities of systemic problems in social sector organizations. 

The solution was creating a brand clearly driven by their values and an intentional and meaningful process made to shift and disrupt in a thoughtful way. Although their work is complex, serious, and challenging, their particularly collaborative approach is very much people-centered, focusing on the everlasting change they are making on social systems and the community those systems affect. 

With this in mind, the main message was also created to directly speak to their mission: "Radical change starts with radical changes.". This opens opportunities to be aligned with clients with shared values and shared desired outcomes.

Lastly, the final visuals are clean, organized, and systematically laid out to give the brand a well-designed look—a hint to their well-thoughtout approach. The playful details inspired by their playful personality and their brand archetype give the brand depth allowing it to feel more human, friendly, and approachable.

KEYWORDS—

Dependable / Informally articulate / Well-designed / Confident / Honest / Friendly

Dependable / Informally articulate / Well-designed / Confident / Honest / Friendly

Dependable / Informally articulate / Well-designed / Confident / Honest / Friendly

Bold / Values-Driven / Authentic / Educated / Experienced / Confident / Modern / Feminine

Bold / Values-Driven / Authentic / Educated / Experienced / Confident / Modern / Feminine

OAT 

 

 

 

#F3F2ED

PURPLE 

 

 

 

#C2B2ED

PEACH 

 

 

 

#F8C6A4

PEACH 

 

 

 

#FFCFAC

PINE

 

 

 

#3F503E

MINT

 

 

 

#A4FADF

BLACK

 

 

 

#000000

BLACK

 

 

 

#000000

RUST

 

 

 

#9B5F3E

FOREST

 

 

 

#1B382E

COLOR PALETTE

We created a color palette that felt grounded, friendly, and warm but had the opportunity to feel sophisticated and modern. We wanted to balance out the fun personality of the brand with the sensible approach rooted in simplicity and honesty.

The color palette is made up of mostly cool colors, primarily purples to align the brand's visual identity with their brand archetype (sage = wisdom). The hues were selected to stand out from its competitors with a fresh, modern, bold, and feminine look and feel.

The color palette is made up of mostly cool colors, primarily purples to align the brand's visual identity with their brand archetype (sage = wisdom). The hues were selected to stand out from its competitors with a fresh, modern, bold, and feminine look and feel.

We created a color palette that felt grounded, friendly, and warm but had the opportunity to feel sophisticated and modern. We wanted to balance out the fun personality of the brand with the sensible approach rooted in simplicity and honesty.

LOGOS & SYMBOLS

System Design Lab logo on an iphone
Systems Design Lab brand symbol
Branded pattern for System Design Lab
Branded pattern for System Design Lab

TYPOGRAPHY

Type sample of the Argent CF light font
Type sample in black of the Poppins font
Type sample in black of the Inconsolata font
Systems Design Lab Brand Strategy Roadmap
Systems Design Lab homepage hero
Systems Design Lab Homepage
Systems Design Lab About page
Systems Design Lab Services page
T-shirt design for Systems Design Lab
Systems Design Lab mug in white
Systems Design Lab mug in pink
Systems Design Lab brand guidelines mockup
Systems Design Lab website mobile view
Systems Design Lab tote bag
Systems Design Lab tote bag with brand icons
System Design Lab Instagram graphics

“

”


20
21

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

Emma Parkerson
& Ke Wu /
Systems Design Lab

I genuinely didn't think that in the process of branding that I was going to find who we were a Systems Design Lab. The way that it has organized how we operate on a day-to-day and also how we operate when we're being really intentional to step back is extremely powerful.


OAK
CA

Systems Design Lab Testimonial Video Cover
What prompted you to seek help?
At that time, we were DYIng and it didn’t feel professional and legit.  We wanted for someone to give us a logo, a visual identity to make ourselves feel like we really did exist and have something that represented what we were doing. We looked at different DIY options then we got to thinking of the things we value and wanted to support a local, woman-owned business and we found you. Now, we get a lot of joy by having our own brand identity. 
What are some benefits have you experienced as a result of our work together?
Our new identity is deeply meaningful and very aligned with what we're trying to do. The strategy part was a really good push for us, moving us out of the super scrappy phase into much more intentional phase.
 
Over the last year, we’ve transitioned in how people see us. Their language has changed from “we’re working with Ke and Emma” to “we’re working with Systems Design Lab”.  This entire process really pushed us to be much more intentional about what we're doing and has landed us in a place where we're a building business that is very intentional about the community that it creates and the community that it builds that feels deeply meaningful to us.
 
Over the period of time that we've worked with you, you supported us in writing down goals. Now in our retreats, we use that to anchor our conversations and it's impacting the way in which we strategize. One of those goals is to show you how explicitly you've impacted the work and how we maneuvered in our development and strategy and our business. Another, is a very concrete goal of make half a million dollars in 2022 and we achieved it!
 
What the biggest impact you've had as a result of our work together?
There's a huge shift that's happened for us from being independent contractors doing a couple of projects on the side to now having a business with an identity. It's going to really help us grow more quickly into that sustainable place we want to be.

This woman that we are working with said to us in a recent call ”you two really live into the values that you espouse for other people, you two really model it. I want to do that too”.  That was the highest praise I could have possibly asked for from someone like her, who is a leader in our space. To have her affirm that is really powerful.
 
We're only able to do this because we've taken the time with you, facilitated by you, to get very clear about what it is, to act to the behavior, to do—to build this business in a way that is aligned to our values.
 
Having you holding the space for us and doing a process that's aligned with what we do with our clients, was a compelling way to keep our business moving and help take ourselves a little bit more seriously.
 
You've really helped us in this process identify what Systems Design Lab is and the presence that it wants to have. One really empowering thing about that is, when Emma and I take stances with our clients when we believe that a client is a misalign with our values, we do it as Systems Design Lab, not as Ke's opinion or Emma's opinion. We feel confident to be able to say things like that now. I don't think we would have been before because it wasn't so clear and obvious to us how we want to exist as a business.
 
What surprised you the most or made you the happiest about us working together?
Some of the strategy work was surprisingly hard for us. One of the biggest longer-term benefits will be all those moments when you said “what does that mean?”. We have been in a little bubble and the conversations that we've had together felt like we were talking in a circle, so trying to figure out how to describe things to you as someone outside of our bubble was a challenge. I didn't realize how much we needed that. We've just been working with people who understand the jargon and if we do actually want to expand beyond education, we have to learn how to communicate that. It's tremendously valuable.

I genuinely didn't think that in the process of branding I was going to find who we were as Systems Design Lab. The way this process has organized how we operate on a day-to-day and how we operate when we're being really intentional to step back is extremely powerful.
What are you most proud of?
The Easter Egg page because it really represents who we are. When I think about the moments we’ve had with our clients this year a thing that we do is hold space for some of the silliness and authenticity. I'm proud of seeing how that comes through in how we show up in this artifact. It brings me a lot of joy. 

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Branding for established women of color entrepreneurs and BIPOC-led organizations wanting to unapologetically stand out and clearly amplify their message.

Branding for established women of color entrepreneurs and BIPOC-led organizations wanting to unapologetically stand out and clearly amplify their message.

Branding for established women of color entrepreneurs and BIPOC-led organizations wanting to unapologetically stand out and clearly amplify their message.

Branding for established women of color entrepreneurs and BIPOC-led organizations wanting to unapologetically stand out and clearly amplify their message.

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