Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS), a network of 16 libraries in suburban Portland, Oregon, serves thousands of patrons every year.
When we first started working with their team, they were in the middle of a strategic shift toward greater equity and accessibility. They needed a brand refresh to emphasize this priority while also becoming more relevant and engaging to their diverse audiences. Our initial brand engagement led to a longer term creative partnership with the library team where we supported the creation of new website designs and strategy, campaigns, social media templates and content, tote bags, truck wraps, newly designed library cards for adults and kids, and brand language to be used throughout the system.
We won a Creative Communication Award for Branding and Brand Activation for this work. Check out the award here.
WCCLS at a glance
A refreshed identity
Starting with their book logomark as the center of gravity, we wanted to represent how a library contributes to the community. The curves of the logo led us to a new, friendly visual language that we grounded in a deep, trustworthy blue, paired with vibrant, modern colors as accents.
The expressions can range from playful to classical, depending on the campaign or content.
We are ecstatic about how they elevated our graphics and branding. The leadership team involved with providing feedback to the S&C team was effusive in their praise for how they captured our branding goals and brought them to fruition.
Expressing the brand in the world
We worked with WCCLS to conceive and launch various digital campaigns, merchandise, collateral, and signage to reach new audiences online and in the community.
We designed truck wraps with new taglines to share the idea that the library is more than just a place to borrow books. We also designed a set of charming, lighthearted, cheeky, and stylish tote bags.
Creating a robust social platform + campaigns
We designed a wide range of graphic templates and assets for social and helped the library create nine social media campaigns to promote initiatives and tell their story. We also designed a set of Canva templates, delivered a user guide, and conducted a series of trainings for their team so they could learn how to use the tool and the new templates successfully.
The beauty of this collaborative Canva account is that we continue to add new templates as we build more assets and campaigns together.
I am so grateful for the Smith & Connors team for their incredible talent, seamless and responsive project management, and deep commitment to our organization's business, audience, and brand goals. The entire team breathed life into our campaigns and projects, which were often on tight timelines with high expectations! I have learned so much working with S&C and have truly enjoyed their rigorous and exciting creative process.
Project Scope
- Brand Guidelines
- Logo Design
- Positioning
- Visual Identity Systems
- Change Management
- Staff Engagement
- Surveys
- Workshops & Focus Groups
- Audience & Channel Analysis
- Campaigns
- Communications Strategy
- Copywriting & Content
- Email Newsletters
- Marketing Assets
- Marketing Strategy
- Photography Direction
- Presentations & Pitch Decks
- Social Media
- Digital Tune-Ups
