Branding

On July 4, 2026, the United States will mark the 250th anniversary of its independence. Congress established a Commission at the national level to plan a commemoration and celebration under the title of “America250." At Brown University, the President announced a multi-year, faculty-led initiative called “Brown2026" that takes this milestone as an opportunity for critical inquiry from a diversity of perspectives into the role of the university in the past and the future of America's democratic project, and on the legacies of the American Revolution. This includes signature events, support for research, as well as academic convenings and curricular development through student engagement.

As lead designer on the project, I was tasked with developing a visual identity which included a wordmark for the overarching campaign in addition to an events tag which would be applied across University activities related to the initiative. I also worked closely with our web team to create a visual skin within the larger brown.edu system for the inaugural site.

In collaboration with the marketing director, we initially proposed an alternative name for the initiative so as not to conflict with the academic class of 2026, commonly referred to as Brown ‘26. After meetings with senior leadership, we moved forward with the Brown 2026 name and created a system which aligned with the University’s visual identity with the introduction of the star element as a nod to the American flag.

The initiative was launched in January 2025, allowing for a preliminary year of celebration ahead of the official anniversary.