From fall 2018 to Spring 2019, I played a role as a graphic designer of Korean Student Association (KSA) at Portland State University. Korean Student Association sets a goal in spreading and sharing Korean culture through the community. 

As a part of the rebranding of KSA, I created a new logo and design system that delivers a professional, organized atmosphere.  Through some research, I tried to differentiate from other student associations especially other Asian cultural groups, and establish a new KSA brand by taking a modern and fresh approach.

As a part of a class project, I created a hypothetical sock brand that sets the brand mission: Start the day a bit happier. The objective of this brand is to turn the idea of socks as consumable goods into a special piece to enhance the quality of a day. Emphasize the importance of socks and provide a new concept of buying socks. 

The brand marks consist of rounded shapes and lines which stand for comfort and relaxation. Those shapes and lines are consistently used in both primary and secondary marks to build a strong relationship and flexibility, which makes it possible to use those marks together or separately or repeatedly.

The vertically stack up brand name (SOC) communicates the shape of socks' stem and the motion of wearing a soc. The colon after the character C creates a smiley face which how this brand want their customers to feel when they wear SOC’s socks. By having enough amount of space between each of the characters, it is recognizable and readable in any size. The shapes of the characters are customized to match with the secondary mark and the overall aesthetic.

The secondary mark is a simple line illustration of a sock. It is clean, genderless, and universal. I got inspired by the concept of knitting thread.

NW Rett Syndrome Association is a parent-led organization that supports families across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Canada, Alaska, and Northern California. Their missions and impacts on those families are to support, commune, and share.

For this rebranding project, I suggested this big idea, "Extended Family". It is a community that families, donators, and board members can support emotionally and care for each other as a family. Just knowing that you are not alone, helps a lot. And I believe that it is one of the biggest reasons why NW Rett Syndrome Asociation is needed. NW Rett Syndrome Association can be a second home where families who are struggling the same syndrome can feel secure and rely on it. An extended family where board members care about those community members not just as a board member, but as a part of a family. Moreover, an extended family where struggling individuals are protected and be able to let down their guards.

The logo design was inspired by a flower; petals support each other and create a flower shape as one. I applied the idea to this logo in order to depict how board members, community members, and also potential supporters (donators) can interact and support as an extended family in NW Rett Syndrome Association. Each of the petals is paired with the dots above, which represent those three essential components. This primary mark is projecting a supportive, welcoming, and warm yet professional atmosphere. 

I chose a bit toned down pink-ish purple as the main color for this branding project. Purple is the awareness color of Rett syndrome, and it communicates the best what the purpose and an objective of this association are. For supportive colors, I used yellow and green. The color of yellow represents the energy and passion they have. The green speaks for calm, relax, and supports that they provide.