Washington State Parks Rebrand
Problem to Solve
How might Washington State Parks redefine their identity system to be welcoming, accessible, and modern—while also resonating with residents and visitors across the state?
what i did
Branding, Layout, Art Direction, Environmental Graphics, Web Design, Motion
Duration
12 weeks
about washington state parks
Established in 1913, the park system has grown to include over 124 parks as the demand for outdoor recreation spaces has steadily increased. By the early 2000s, annual attendance grew to 58 million visitors—40 percent more visitors than the previous decade. Funding for state parks has not kept up with the increased traffic—an issue that is front of mind for current park leadership.1
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The state parks’ primary audience is middle-class families and young, urban professionals seeking day use. Washington state’s population is predicted to increase by 20 percent over the next 20 years, and the population is growing increasingly more diverse, urban, and old. Participation rates in outdoor recreation are already low among the elderly and some ethnic and racial minorities—in order to meet its mission of connecting all Washingtonians with their state’s land, the agency must ensure it welcomes all people.
welcome to nature
The brand refresh emphasizes Washington State Park’s mission to connect both locals and visitors with the state’s most treasured lands. The rebrand reinvigorates and builds enthusiasm for this invaluable resource and shifts the visual expression of the agency to more accurately reflect its values of inclusivity and accessibility for all. A welcoming tone of voice, approachable color palette, and photography that better represents the diverse population of the state all work together to create an identity that invites everyone to enjoy the parks. 
LOGO
The simplified triangular shapes within the brandmark represent an inclusive, accessible, modern agency, while also making space for individual interpretation. The new logo is notably more abstract and minimal than the agency's previous mark in an effort to connect with a broader audience. This logo provides an opportunity for people from the Palouse of Pullman to the harbors of Port Angeles to form their own interpretations, in a way that a pictorial mark cannot.

Process

defining core brand attributes: Step 1
To define the core attributes of Washington State Parks that needed to be conveyed in the rebrand, I collaborated with a team of six others who were also independently rebranding Washington State Parks. Our first exercise was to analyze a collection of over 100 images, voting for which photos did and did not represent the Parks.
defining core brand attributes: Step 2
The photos that received more than one 'yes' or 'no' vote were mapped onto a spectrum. The cluster on the left represents photos that are not like Washington State Parks and the right represents photos that are. As a group, we discussed each photo to determine what qualities specifically felt relevant to the Park's identity.
defining core brand attributes: Step 3
From the photo exercise, we were able to agree on a handful of key descriptors and eventually the three core attributes of the brand: accessible, educational, and preservational.
tonal territories
After deciding on the three core attributes with the larger team, I began to explore how each of those core attributes would be visually expressed. What do accessible, educational, and preservational look and feel like? The final brand direction needed to express qualities from each of the core attributes.
concept development
The final concept, Welcome to Nature, is a blend of the three character traits identified throughout the process. This direction captures the accessibility aspect of the Parks through photo direction and tone of voice, the educational aspect through colors and strong hierarchy, and a sense of preservation through animal illustrations and nature inspired textures.
logo roughs
After finalizing the concept direction, I began the process of developing a logo. Dozens of sketches and iterations later, I landed on a style that plays off the shapes of the 'W' and 'A' in WA, and the way that the shapes together form an abstract landscape.

Read about the rebrand process

x Close process

defining core brand attributes: Step 1
To define the core attributes of Washington State Parks that needed to be conveyed in the rebrand, I collaborated with a team of six others who were also independently rebranding Washington State Parks. Our first exercise was to analyze a collection of over 100 images, voting for which photos did and did not represent the Parks.
defining core brand attributes: Step 2
The photos that received more than one 'yes' or 'no' vote were mapped onto a spectrum. The cluster on the left represents photos that are not like Washington State Parks and the right represents photos that are. As a group, we discussed each photo to determine what qualities specifically felt relevant to the Park's identity.
defining core brand attributes: Step 3
From the photo exercise, we were able to agree on a handful of key descriptors and eventually the three core attributes of the brand: accessible, educational, and preservational.
tonal territories
After deciding on the three core attributes with the larger team, I began to explore how each of those core attributes would be visually expressed. What do accessible, educational, and preservational look and feel like? The final brand direction needed to express qualities from each of the core attributes.
concept development
The final concept, Welcome to Nature, is a blend of the three character traits identified throughout the process. This direction captures the accessibility aspect of the Parks through photo direction and tone of voice, the educational aspect through colors and strong hierarchy, and a sense of preservation through animal illustrations and nature inspired textures.
logo roughs
After finalizing the concept direction, I began the process of developing a logo. Dozens of sketches and iterations later, I landed on a style that plays off the shapes of the 'W' and 'A' in WA, and the way that the shapes together form an abstract landscape.
Bake Shop
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