Building Brands

During the tenth Geekend we wanted to announce important change to the program. Geekend wasn’t working for the community in the way it had originally been designed to perform, and part of the reason was the name, Geekend is limiting; the name implies a self-identification as a geek, and a propensity for technology.

Perceptions that instigated the rebrand:
•  Geekend is only for tech people 
•  Geekend is only for geeks
•  Geekend is only for experts and super smart people, not tech curious or those new to the community
•  “Geekend” implies Weekend
•  No one wants to sponsor — they don’t understand what it really is or who it’s for

The Creative Coast needed to get back to their mission, and to re-imagine what Geekend would be — a more inclusive event that also provided events throughout the year, not only on one designated weekend — to serve Savannah’s Entrepreneurs, Technologists, Creatives & Makers.

The process I led with the group involved a series of brainstorming sessions with mind-mapping, affinitizing, and writing and took place over several months. During this invaluable time, we identified central values and themes, which allowed the new brand — GRIT, to emerge.
‍
GRIT is Geekend ReInvenTed     —     Savannah’s got GRIT

Next I led the group through writing their updated mission and vision; 
‍
GRIT MISSION
‍To foster and grow the regional innovation economy by showcasing accomplishments, introducing new ideas, and connecting people passionate about building products, companies and experiences.

GRIT VISION
‍Putting Savannah on the map as a tech hub and center for innovation. 

From here the visual design work began. I took the tack of reviewing the brainstorming processes and researching more on Savannah. I found historical maps on Library of Congress website, and through exploring the maps I unearthed the cities movement and growth throughout the years. This process helped me to identify textures and shapes I would associate with the word-mark. When deciding what typefaces to add to the system I went back to the mission and vision, and paired the mark with typefaces that evoke sincere authenticity, but remain playful and current.