State of Jefferson
Challenge
Design and implement a brand identity for the State of Jefferson, a real proposal to separate northern California and southern Oregon to form a new state. As a group, our challenge was to build a unified visual brand to promote the State of Jefferson as a professional and organized community of families and individuals who value growth, enrichment of themselves, their community and their environment.
Background
According to Wikipedia, the State of Jefferson is a proposed U.S. state that would span the contiguous, mostly rural area of southern Oregon and Northern California, where several attempts to separate from Oregon and California, respectively, have taken place.
This region on the Pacific Coast is the most famous of several that have sought to adopt the name of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. Jefferson, who sent the Lewis and Clark expedition into the Pacific Northwest in 1803, envisioned the establishment of an independent nation in the western portion of North America that he dubbed the "Republic of the Pacific";[1] hence, the association of his name with regional autonomy. The independence movement, rather than statehood, is known as Cascadia.
Solution
The logomark, or state seal, is a series of nesting circles with a few symbolic elements: five stars to represent the 50 preceding states in the U.S., salal flowers to represent the state’s independence and self-sustainability, and a mule deer with a subtle double cross in its antlers to represent our history and determination.
Kepler Standard is used for the logotype to elicit a sense of modern history.
The tagline, “State of Mind”, represents the States’ determination, resourcefulness, and as well as its educational values. In addition, it indicates that with any worthwhile endevour is possible with a positive mindset.
