Cumulus Association

Brand identity refresh and web design of Cumulus, the leading global association of art and design education and research. Cumulus represents a dynamic ecosystem for global mobility, knowledge exchange, and collaboration in art and design pedagogy, research, and practice.

Refreshing the Cumulus logo and identity presented a unique challenge for me. The goal was to move the logo forward without completely erasing its past. I felt that the best way to accomplish this was by preserving the ‘C’ from their existing logo, which can be seen here. However, I moved it away from its hand-drawn origins to give it a cleaner and more contemporary aesthetic. 

By overlapping the Cs, I wanted to emphasize the concept of connection, referencing the intersection of Cumulus’ strategic pillars of communication, collaboration, and community. The expanded color palette is also a reflection of their expanding global community of members and partners. The new visual identity also needed to be robust in terms of its graphic language and brand expression. I wanted to design a bold and flexible identity system that could stand on its own, yet was understated enough to accompany their members’ designs and artwork without overpowering them.