Editor’s Note: This project won Best of Region for the South in PRINT’s 2017 Regional Design Awards. See all of the winners here, and don’t forget to enter the 2018 Regional Design Awards.
The digital age has shifted the way many industries operate, with such change bringing an element of uncertainty—and that is especially the case with public radio. Which is why Louisville Public Media, a community-supported nonprofit with three radio stations and an investigative unit, was looking to reinvent its identity and better position itself for the future.
Bullhorn Creative saw this as an opportunity to not just churn out great work for their client, but to make a positive impact on a treasured community resource. “We share their pride in their successes,” Carrie Shirley, director of content and strategy, says. “Bullhorn will always be a loyal supporter of LPM. It’s great to see them taking complete ownership of their identity and incorporating it into how they grow.”
While LPM was initially looking for a total rebrand, Bullhorn discovered in its research phase that there was still considerable equity in LPM’s look, which resulted instead in a brand evolution.
“Figuring out how to incorporate what was memorable about what they were already doing into a fresh new design was a welcome challenge,” Shirley says. The result is a beautifully complex yet elegant system of blocks that come together to form an ‘L,’ with each colored square signifying a sub-brand of the organization’s various stations. “These building blocks can grow and change to accommodate future growth,” Shirley says. “They can be used as a pattern or as a logo. They work on print and digital. They’ll change depending on how you refer to each member station.” When combined with sound, this core system brings a modern twist full of energy to each aspect of the brand that it touches, from the website to merchandise.
All told, the identity—which manages to be simultaneously fresh and refreshing—positions LPM in just the right spot for a new era.
RELATED POSTS
Award-Winning Branding: The Creative Capital of Los Angeles from 72andSunny