The Caledonian Society of Cincinnati has been celebrating Scottish heritage in the region since 1827, making it the oldest Caledonian Society in the United States. The organization aims to celebrate Scottish heritage and history, as well provide community outreach and educational resources to the Cincinnati community. This rebrand was conducted to create a comprehensive brand identity for the group and increase recruitment amongst the next generation of Caledonian Society members.
While creating this brand identity, I wanted to seamlessly merge the Scottish heritage, while keeping the identity of Cincinnati at the forefront of the brand mark. Combining elements of the Rampant Lion–a famed Scottish symbol depicted on the country’s coat of arms– and the prominent “C” and flowing waters of the Cincinnati flag.
After several rounds of internal feedback with colleagues and one final client review, the mark took shape with revisions to the lion’s mane and the addition of a wave in the flag to invoke a sense of pride in the viewer. The friendly, rounded sans-serif type repeats the curvature of the “C” in the flag, while conveying an approachable nature in-line with the organization’s values of inclusion.
