The Obama Foundation, founded by Barack and Michelle Obama, is a nonprofit focused on leadership development and community programs – running initiatives such as the Obama Foundation Leaders, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, and Girls Opportunity Alliance. The foundation also oversees the Obama Presidential Center, a planned museum and community space in Chicago. Ahead of the center’s opening next year, the foundation turned to design studio Manual to rebrand the institution, taking on the challenge of reimagining the former president’s iconic logo and visual history.
While Manual retained the rising sun logo, they also kept Gotham – they typeface synonymous with the 2008 presidential campaign, the one identified with the word ‘HOPE’ in Shepard Fairey’s iconic poster. To bring a more dynamic and energetic voice to the identity, Manual’s team paired Gotham with Gotham Condensed. This combinationl, says the firm, strikes a balance that sharpens the tone and amplifies the message, giving the identity more energy.
Collaborating with Sara Soskolne at Monotype, Manual expanded the use of Gotham Condensed Bold to create three bespoke versions specifically for Presidential Center contexts and communications. These custom display typefaces represent the multitude of voices converging at the Presidential Center and symbolize the center’s diverse programs, ranging from civics to arts and culture, athletics, and sustainability.
To capture the dynamism of the center, Manual incorporated patterns that convey movement in both static forms and animation. The radial geometric patterns embody The Obama Foundation’s theory of change: the ripple effect of small actions leading to larger, meaningful impacts. Additionally, they developed a comprehensive motion graphics toolkit to support communications across web, video, social media, digital exhibitions, and beyond.
