Glenview, Illinois Identity system manual
table of contents 02
design brief
03
problem statement
04
competing brands
06
semiotic research
18
mark iterations
22
mark
24
slogan iterations
25
slogan application
26
typography
27
color palette
28
proper usage
30
improper usage
32
application
design brief Design a place branding identity system for your home town.
02
problem statement Glenview, Illinois is a suburb of almost 50,000 people located just north of Chicago. Built around a United States Naval Air Station, the town flourished around WWII as it became the largest training facility for the US Navy. NAS Glenview closed in 1995 after nearly 60 years. Though the land was redeveloped to build community spaces, the control tower remains intact. Glenview has continued to grow into a town attacting young families looking to build their lives. The mark leverages the symbol of an airplane to incorporate an important piece of Glenview’s history. The slogan reflects the town’s current reputation, as the town to land on when choosing a home in one of Chicago's many suburbs. The identy system identifies Glenview as a “home base” — similar to the Naval Air Station — where families can learn and grow.
03
competing brands Bear statue emblem Glenview's current mark is an emblem featuring a bear statue. The statue stands in downtown Glenview, located in central Jackman Park near the library and train station, making it a visible icon to many of the town's inhabitants. The statue acts as an avatar for the town.
Naval air station emblem The naval air base serves as an important piece of Glenview's history. This emblem includes a bald eagle acting as an avatar. Use of imagery and color incite patriotic emotion.
04
Wilmette mark Northern Chicago suburbs hold many similarities. Often, families move to this area to settle down and raise a family. A multitude of suburbs are considered in this process. Wilmette is a suburb next to Glenview. It is worth looking at the brand identities of competiting towns in addition to marks solely designed for Glenview.
Northbrook mark Northbrook is another suburb located directly next to Glenview. The two towns share a school distract, often a key factor in the decision to purchase a home. Again, comparing the existing identities of Glenview and alternative suburbs is essential in gathering an idea of what the town itself is up against.
05
semantic research characteristic
icon
index
symbol
safe
secure from liability to harm, injury, damage, risk
protected, secure, certain, clear, dependable, healthy, gate, fence, lock
gate
affluent
having an adbundance of wealth, property, prosperous, rich
prosperous, rich, wealthy, moneyed, upscale, well-off, well-to-do, loaded, cars
cars
clean
free from foreign or extraneous matter, unsoiled, unstained
blank, bright, clear, elegant, fresh, orderly, simple, washed, pattern, sidewalk
order
polished
made smooth or glossy, refined, cultured, elegant
refined, bright, gleaming, shiny, glossy, privileged, polite, well-born
privileged
planned
arranged, organized or done in accordance of plan
projected, outlined, programmed, prepared, blueprint
blueprint
06
characteristic
icon
index
symbol
expensive
entailing great expense, very high priced
high priced, costly, extravagent, fancy, high, lavish, overpriced, upscale, valuable
costly
close-knit
tightly united, connected, organized
connected, dense, heavy, impenetrable, opaque, solid, close, crowded
connected
family-oriented
principle placing family at center, focuses on values, strengths, relationships
family first
family first
developed
in a more advanced or effective state
grown, advanced, matured, refined
refined
residential
relating to residence, suited/ characterized by private residences/ dwellings
peopled, populous, uptown, urban, residentiary, house, home
house
07
semantic research characteristic
icon
index
symbol
open
not closed or barred, permit passage
accessible, clear, free, susceptible, wide, rolling
rolling
young
being in first or early stafe of life or growth
budding, inexperienced, new, youthful, blooming, adolescent, baby
budding
central
in, at, near center, from which other related things proceed or upon which they depend
main, principle, essential, fundamental, important, location pin, relation
location pin
upscale
the upper end of a social or economic scale
luxurious, comfortable, expensive, deluxe, opulent, clean
comfortable
excessive
going beyond the usual, necessary, or proper limit
exaggerated, extra, superfluous, needless, steep, overdone
extra
08
characteristic
icon
index
symbol
suburban
inhabiting or being in a suburb of a city
provincial, rural, county
provincial
green
color of growing foliage, covered with herbage
young, new blooming, fresh, grassy, leafy, lush, budding, flourishing
budding
educated
having undergone, education, displaying quantities of culture
learned, prepared, experiences, accomplished, civilized, informed, intelligent
civilized
wealthy
rich, affluent, having great wealth, a lot of money
affluent, independent, moneyed, prosperous, upscale
affluent
wet
moistened, covered, soaked with water
damp, moist, misty, foggy, humid, rainy, soaked, soggy
damp
09
syntactic research characteristic
icon
index
symbol
park
land that is preserved for pleasure
estate, garden, playground, slide, woodchips, grass, kids
playground
playground
an area used for outdoor play or recreation, by children
slide, swing, woodchips, kids, children
slide
family
basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered a group
kids, mom, dad, dog, house, children, mini van
kids
neighbor
person who lives near another
block, houses, street
block
nature
material world, especially as syrrounding human kind, elements of natural world
trees, leaf, braches, grass
leaf
10
characteristic
icon
index
symbol
ice cream
a frozen food containing cream or milk, butter, fat, sugar
frozen yogurt, sherbert, sorbet, gelato, cone, swiral
swiral
parade
large procession, usually including a marching band, of festive nature
bike, road, streamers, ritual, procession, walk, floats, banners
streamers
railroad
permanent road laid with rails, in one or more pairs of continuous lines
tracks, road, dirt, car, conductor
tracks
bear statue
3d work of art, as a representational or abstract form
bear, statue, stone, tall
stone
house
a building in which people live, residence
roof, wall, wood, door stoop, step, window
door stoop
11
syntactic research characteristic
icon
index
symbol
grove
cluster of trees
coppice, copse, covert, forest, orchard, swamp, marsh, bridge
bridge
naval air station
an airfield having facilities for sheltering or serving aircraft
airbase, aircraft base, military airport center, tower, plane
tower
suburb
a district lying immediately outside a city or town
countryside, outpost, outskirts, village, extension
extension
farm
a tract of land, usually with a house, on which crops and livestock grow
acreage, estate, field, garden, homestead, lawn, meadow, grass, animals
field
home
a shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, household
apartment, cabin, condo, cottage, roof, doorstep
doorstep
12
characteristic
icon
index
symbol
youth
condition of being young, appearance, freshness, vigor, spirit
teens, adolescence, bloom, childhood, prime, youthfulness, kids
childhood
children
boy, girl, person between birth and full growth
adolescents, baby, infant, juvenile, kid, offspring, youth
youth
tree
a plant having a permanently main trunk, growing considerable height
forest, sapling, seedling, shrub, timber, wood, plant, leaf
leaf
cul de sac
a street, lane, closed at one end
blind alley, dead end, impasse, tangent, circle, street, road
circle
school
institution where instruction is given, to people under college age
academy, department, education, books, pencil, desk, learning
pencil
13
pragmatic research characteristic
icon
index
symbol
safeguard
to guard, protect, secure, ensure safety
protect, crossing guard, vest, kids play here sign, flag, school zone
crossing guard
secure
not exposed to danger or harm
doorbell, lock, door, front door, gate
gate
develop
bring out capabilities, possibilities, grow, expand
condo, townhomes, house, buildings, rejuvinate
townhomes
build
construct by assembling, parts or materials
tools, hammer, hard hat, instructions, blue print
blueprint
relax
make less tense
calm, lawn chair, feet up, couch, porch, swing
lawn chair
14
characteristic
icon
index
symbol
learn
acquire knowledge or skill in by study, instruction
teach, book, alphabet, numbers, school
alphabet
flourish
to be in a rigorous state or thrive
grow, blossom, flower, petal, stem, kids, plants
flower petal
live
to have life as an organism, daily existence
life, alive, liveliness, interaction, breath, oxygen
oxygen
protect
defend or guard from attack
care for, assure, look after, fence, shelter
fence
explore
traverse or range over a region for purpose of discovery
search, seek, burrow, map, woods, path, look, learn, field trip
map
15
pragmatic research characteristic
icon
index
symbol
teach
impart knowledge, give wisdom, skill, instruction
learn, book, read, pencil, desk, school, backpack
book
walk
advance or travel on foot at moderate speed or pace
pace, path, stroller, shoe, foot, lake, gravel
path
bike
ride a bicycle
spoke, wheel, spinning, handlebars, gear, move
wheel
drive
send, expel cause to move by force or compulsion
car, motor, windshield, wheel, gas, street, road, sign, stoplight
wheel
shop
to visit shops for purchasing or examining goods
goods, items, shelves, store front, window, souvenir, sale, money
store front
16
characteristic
icon
index
symbol
raise
to move to a higher position, life up, elevate
grow, baby, bring up, teach, instruct, children, family, start up
baby
grow
to increase by natural development
plant, tall, green, seed, stages, nature
seed
run
to go quickly by moving legs rapidly
movement, activity, exercise, path, job, shoes, feet, legs
feet
access
state of being approacgable, a way or means of approach
easy, close, near, quick, road, car, connection
connection
farm
to cultivate land, raise animals
grow, bring up, nurture, land, animals
nurture
17
mark iterations Look out hill The land on which the naval air station stood has since been redeveloped into a community town center coined "The Glen." Much of the area consists of a lake and trail, with a recognizable building overlooking the town. Quite literally "Glenview," this mark attempted to focus on the current situation rather than the town's history. This version was also regarded as too generic.
Propeller Settling on Glenview's naval air station history, the next mark attempted to identify an airplane propeller as a single leveragable detail. However, this idea falls short in that it eliminates too much contextual information. The mark appears as the letter "x" rather than a propeller and also breaks the town name.
18
Cul de sac An original proposition depicted a cul de sac as a means of demonstrating Glenview's suburban feel. Cul de sacs are incorporated into planned developments to encourage families to buy and build on the street. Typically, cul de sacs are seen as a safe location to purchase a home. This concept was too broad, and could be applied to any suburban development.
Naval air station tower Another original concept included the remaining architecture of Glenview's naval air station, the tower. This is the only piece that still stands today, making it the most recognizable imagery associated with that part of Glenview's history. However, the tower was too abstract and proved it would not scale.
19
mark iterations Airplane #1 Ultimately, an airplane was selected as viable imagery to represent Glenview's history operating as a naval air base town. Because the station operated for a number of decades, a variety of planes can be seen in photos from the time. The first airplane mark illustrates an older plane. This mark was far too childish and appeared toylike.
Airplane #2 The second iteration of the airplane selected a more modern airplane as the symbol. The proportions of front and tail wings and the rudder changed throughout the process and detail was eliminated until the icon was simplified enough to scale. This iteration held too much detail from the original graphic translation.
20
Airplane #3 The third iteration of the airplane attempted to bring movement into the mark by setting the airplane on a diagonal. The wings of the plane were further simplified. However, too much contrast remained among stroke edges. This created disruption to the eye where sharper and softer strokes met.
Airplane #4 The fourth iteration of the airplane mitered the corner strokes to give a softer appearance of the mark Additionally, an alternate typeface was selected to better match the mechanical qualities of an airplane. Ultimately, this iteration was workshopped into the final mark. Viewer perspective was taken into consideration when shaping the final wings of the plane, as was creating a comparable stroke weight between symbol and logo.
21
black and white mark
3" in height
0.75" in height
22
color mark
3" in height
0.75" in height
23
slogan iterations See the sky Serving the sky Take flight Land here Propel forward
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slogan application
25
typography Eurostile bold Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ! @ # $ % & ? / * Eurostile regular Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ! @ # $ % & ? / *
26
color palette
CMYK: 100, 100, 25, 25 RGB: 38, 34, 98 PMS: 2745 CP #262262
CMYK: 0, 35, 85, 0 RGB: 251, 176, 64 PMS: P 17-7 U #FBB040
27
proper usage
Symbol and logo black and white Only to be used in documents set in black and white or greyscale.
Symbol and logo color Available to use in documents set in color and black and white or greyscale.
28
Clear space To ensure the mark is legible, it must be surrounded with the minimum amount of space depicted above.
29
improper usage
Do not place mark over busy background.
Do not change the color of the mark.
30
Do not rotate or distort the mark.
Do not outline the mark.
31
application
Bus stop advertisement
32
Poster advertisement
33
application
T-shirt
34
Sweatshirt
35
application
Baseball cap
36
Canvas tote bag
37
application
Pocket notebook
38
Rubber stamp
39
application
Beer glass
40
Mug
41
application
City vehicle
42
contact 2500 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60026 847.724.1700 info@glenview.il.us www.glenview.il.us