Design Bay Area

Design Bay Area is a new not-for-profit organization established to promote the diversity of design practice across the Bay Area.

Mucho was tasked with creating a new visual identity for the organization. The biggest challenge was how can we create a new identity that is unique to the Bay Area while being able to represent all of the different design disciplines within the region. This identity also needed to work alongside and as the umbrella brand for San Francisco Design Week.

Our solution was to channel the optimism, warmth and openness of the Bay Area. We developed the concept of ‘West Coast Energy’ which is represented in a timeless, dynamic new symbol — Reminiscent of a spark, or sun, the symbol shines back from the West Coast.

The flat, vertical left hand side of the logo represents the Pacific, while each ray points to each of the 9 unique counties which make up the Bay Area. The symbol also creates a large letter ‘D’ for Design.

The color palette represents the ‘Golden Hour’ — a unique light that hits the Bay Area and California at the end of each day as the sun sets in the West, featuring ‘International Orange’ — the color of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The typography is also unique to the region, designed by Lucas Sharp of Sharp Type based in the Bay Area.