The Leadership Alliance

Circle of excellence: Refreshing The Leadership Alliance brand while honoring 30+ years of legacy

Brand Refresh

The Challenge

Established in 1992, The Leadership Alliance is national consortium of higher education institutions and private industry that develops underrepresented students into outstanding leaders and role models in academia, business, and the public sector.

The Alliance’s executive staff requested a refresh for their visual brand — focusing on updating the logo seal and enhancing the existing brand standards. I sat down with the staff in a discovery session and developed a list of weaknesses and strengths of the existing logo.

Logo of The Leadership Alliance featuring a globe above a classical pillar, surrounded by a white circle with black text.

Weaknesses

  • Mix of visual styles

  • Font looks dated

  • Dislike the “pointy” serifs of the font

  • Poor readability at small sizes

  • No symbols representing research, a main focus of their programs

  • No reference to establishment year

Strengths

  • Maintain the black and gold colors — they look prestigious

  • Maintain the overall shape — the circle representing inclusiveness and the concentric circles representing community

  • Maintain the equity and legacy of the logo seal

The Alliance’s brand guide had issues, too. It contained a color palette of 14 colors, several of which were very similar in hue, and there were no official branded fonts. The thin brand guide contributed to a lot of inconsistency in brand application across all marketing channels.

The Solution

My goal was to incorporate as much as possible of the Alliance’s input to refresh the logo seal and also create a more robust brand guide to provide clear boundaries for consistent application and aid in developing a more dynamic brand.

I started with black and white concepts for the logo seal, testing out different fonts and design elements. One of the concepts that included new symbols to represent a broader representation of the Alliance’s mission was selected to be refined.

There was a lot of discussion about the globe symbol. I had presented some globes that were a simple configuration of ellipses because I knew that they would read very well at small sizes. The client preferred a more literal representation of the globe with continent shapes, closer to the original logo. Eventually we landed on a solution that satisfied both the aesthetic and practical needs for the new logo seal.

A black and white icon featuring a globe on top of a classical column with two laurel branches on either side.
Black and white icon of the Earth on a pedestal, with a plant on the left and a flame on the right, representing environmental sustainability.
A white icon of a globe atop a classical column with an Ionic capital, set against a black circular background.
Icon of a globe above a classical column with scrolls, on a black circular background.

Early concepts of the new logo seal (above) and the final logo seal redesign (below) with new symbols.

A circular logo with a black background, featuring a globe on top of a gold column, flanked by a leaf on the left and a flame on the right. The outer ring is white with black text reading "The Leadership Alliance" and the establishment year "Est 1992".
A circular emblem with the words "The Leadership Alliance" around the perimeter and "Est. 1992" at the bottom. Inside the circle, a globe is positioned above a column with a flame on one side and a leaf on the other. Blue lines point to different parts of the emblem, each labeled with symbolic meanings: the globe representing community and inclusivity, the olive branch for collaboration and cooperation, the flame for knowledge and research, the North Star for guidance and leadership, the column for support and mentorship, and the concentric circles for inclusivity.

I reduced the color palette from 14 colors down to just six, making it easier to work with while keeping everything cohesive. The system revolves around Gold and Skylark as the main colors, with tints and tones extending the palette when needed. I replaced the multiple reds and oranges from the original palette with Flame as a single accent color, which packs more punch, and added Plum as the standout new addition that brings some sophisticated depth. This streamlined approach made the design system much more consistent and manageable across all brand materials.

Color palette featuring colors named Gold, Skylark, Seafoam, Flame, Forest, and Plum, each with varying shades.
A woman with red hair wearing an orange T-shirt with a logo that reads 'The Leadership Alliance, Est 1992'. She is standing against a plain, light-colored wall.
A white water bottle with a blue label featuring a logo that includes a globe, a torch, and the text "The Leadership Alliance EST 1992."

For the brand’s typography I selected two typefaces: Playfair Display for headlines and Noto Sans for sub headlines and body copy.

Playfair Display has the sophistication of a classic typeface, like Bodoni, but is available from Google Fonts which makes it an economical choice for both print and online uses.

Noto Sans (also from Google Fonts) is the workhorse font of the brand, with multiple weights and a low size ratio between uppercase and lowercase letter forms — making it legible at small sizes.

Text-based document with sections titled 'Headlines' in blue, 'Sub Headlines' in blue, and 'Body Copy' in blue, outlining virtual recruitment and professional development initiatives by The Leadership Alliance from October 2024 to January 2025, including event details, participant guidance, and benefits, printed in a clear, professional style.

The Outcome

The final result is an identity system (rather than just a single logo), with versions of the logo seal optimized for full-color printing, single-color applications like signage, and versions for special uses like embossed or silkscreened merchandise. The color palette is simple but flexible and the new fonts ensure that The Leadership Alliance brand is represented faithfully across all of their marketing channels.

“Collaborating with Justin has consistently been an outstanding experience. He has a deep understanding of our mission, which enables him to deliver results that often exceed our expectations. When we approached him with our rebranding initiative, he presented a range of innovative and compelling suggestions that truly captured the essence of our brand. We are genuinely excited about the prospect of building a long-lasting and meaningful working relationship with Justin, as his contributions have played a crucial role in our growth and success.”
— Maria DoVale, The Leadership Alliance
Flyer for Summer Research Early Identification Program with a smiling woman wearing glasses and earrings, and text about the program for undergraduates interested in applying to Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. programs.
Glass window with the logo of 'The Leadership Alliance,' featuring a globe on top of a column with a leaf and a flame, and text 'EST 1992' around the circle.
A man wearing sunglasses and a purple t-shirt with a yellow graphic design sun and globe, standing against a white brick wall.
Business card and flyer of The Leadership Alliance, with a logo featuring a globe, laurel, and torch. The card shows contact info for Maria Sánchez-Dovale, Communications & Events Specialist.
Open silver laptop with a STEM sticker on the lid, placed on a purple surface background.
A person with pink and purple hair, wearing a pink sweater, holds a green tote bag with a white logo and text that reads 'The Leadership Alliance, Est 1992,' against a plain background.

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