Step 2: Define Design Criteria >> Step 3: Ideation > Steps 4 - 100: Critique & Revision >>
New ALADIN Identity >> ALADIN Interface >> New WRLC Identity >> WRLC Web Site
Step 2: Define Design Criteria
We determined that many people who think of libraries simply as places where books are stored tend to think of libraries as outdated institutions. The WRLC, however, is anything but outdated. Much of the group's business focuses on maintaining modern digital information networks, not the physical storage and retrieval of books. To address this issue, we wanted to create a logo that was not directly representational of books or libraries, but rather more broadly and abstractly represented libraries in the 21st century -- focusing on the abstract flow of information.
Because the WRLC is its own entity -- that creates its own products and services, and is more than just the sum of its member universities -- we also wanted the new corporate logo to have a well-defined presence.
After several client meetings, and based upon our own research, we defined three main criteria for the WRLC logo that would guide us through the ideation process. To best fit the purpose and character of the WRLC, we believed the new logo should:
- Represent a well-defined space, to echo the unique role of the WRLC within the Washington region;
- Be dynamic and forward-moving, but also solid and strong to represent the unified core of central services the WRLC provides its member libraries; and
- Balance modern and classic elements, to suggest both cutting-edge digital networks but also the classic institutions of the library and higher education.
While the WRLC and its corporate Web sites are largely invisible and unknown to the member college communities, ALADIN is a highly visible portal to library resources that is viewed by thousands of college students and faculty on a daily basis. With this in mind, we set out to create visual identities for ALADIN (the system) and the WRLC (the company) that were separate and distinct. The ALADIN identity could be more vibrant and collegiate than the corporate one. However, since the ALADIN and WRLC logos may appear together on occasion, and since the Web sites are often cross-linked, the two separate identities would need to feature similar characteristics and even reflect the same themes.