Department of Transportation
Brand Redesign
2019
Redesigning a government agency brand
The United States Department of Transportation is the federal government’s lead agency for planning and support of the nation’s land, air and sea-based travel systems. The Department of Transportation consists of many sub-agencies, each with a different purpose and role. In this project, I chose five sub-agencies in addition to the main agency to redesign the branding for.
The original Department of Transportation logo is one of radial symmetry. It details a simplified triskelion that represents air, land, and sea, symbolizing the different modes of transportation the department oversees. The three identical blue droplet shapes that assemble the logo can be perceived as chasing each other and being in constant motion, representing the movement in transportation.
For the redesigned logo, I chose to focus on the key aspect of transportation: movement. To represent movement, arrows were established as the primary motif. I decided to include a slogan below the logotype of the main brand to represent the Department of Transportation's mission and carry it with the brand. This slogan is apparent only in the main brand.
Additionally, the logo of the main brand features two arrows of different directions that symbolize the agency's goal to extend the reach of transportation anywhere.
Uniting the sub-agencies with the brand
The original logo mostly represents the flow of transportation and the nature of movement, but lacks cohesiveness in a system with the sub-agencies. This logo redesign introduces a cohesive system among five sub-agencies under the main Department of Transportation by uniting them all through a consistent design language.
Each logo features an arrow pointing in the direction that relate to the respective sub-agency. For example, the Maritime Administration logo features a downward arrow to represent the sea while the Federal Aviation Administration logo features an upward arrow to represent the sky.
Motion graphic
To further establish the theme of movement into the brand, I decided the best way to express that was through a motion graphic. The focus of the motion graphic was to visually bring all of the brands of the sub-agencies together with the main brand as one cohesive system. The motion graphic showcases various movements that symbolize each sub-agency.
