Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library
The Challenge
In the 21st century, public library systems find themselves at a crossroads. For decades, libraries have been defined as gatekeepers of knowledge, stereotyped as dusty, book-filled places where you’re more likely to be shushed than connect with your community. In reality, today’s libraries are just as likely to be bright & friendly, gateways to knowledge, community, and personal growth and buzzing with people of all-ages, backgrounds, and interests. Think co-working spaces were invented by tech companies? Libraries pioneered that concept more than a century ago.
With new leadership and a fresh strategic plan created with the input of dozens of community conversations, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (EVPL) needed a new brand to fully express their revitalized identity, building on the nostalgia of the past while offering a platform (and megaphone) for their vision of the library of the future- one that doesn’t just anchor a community, but raises the sails for all individuals. Our approach, focused on human-centered design, aligned perfectly with their focus on serving the needs of their entire community.
Branching Out
From the beginning, our human-centered branding process was inclusive. We planned a week of creative sessions with key stakeholders, mixed with field research and interviews at each EVPL location – eight in total. We met and interviewed staff, documented the physical spaces and communities unique to each location, and left behind staff and public-focused activities (graffiti walls, diary studies, suggestion boxes) to ensure that internal and external audiences would not only drive the process – but be heard the entire way!
This research informed our insights and recommendations based on four primary ways patrons experience EVPL – through learning, escaping, entertaining, and bonding. Each use type outlined recommendations and challenges – for patrons and staff – that coalesced around three opportunity spaces for the new brand: unify purpose, celebrate individuality, and spark curiosity.
Breaking the Frame
The brand’s visual juxtaposition of minimalist framing with maximum possibility served as a metaphor for EVPL as a true community gateway – a viewfinder that could represent infinite opportunities and inspiration, or embrace visuals that speak to community-relevant themes. By breaking the frame, we also spoke to EVPL’s ambitious organizational structure – one of the first library systems in the country to hire staff to champion specific community initiatives (wellness, performing arts, etc.).
