Creativity Changes Everything
Caldera was founded in 1996 by Dan Wieden to help underserved youth be exposed to creativity. Over the years, Caldera has grown from a summer camp to a year-round program offering residencies and mentorships, enriching the lives of thousands of young people annually. Wieden believed in the power of creative expression and the importance of giving children a chance to find their voice and contribute to the world.
The Caldera brand needed a refresh to reflect their growth, attract donors, represent their staff and artist community, as well as connect with young leaners and their family. Following an extensive audit and interviews with stakeholders, we explored design territories, landing on a modular system that could flex to speak to Caldera’s various audiences and help the brand enter in to a sophisticated approach that moved them away from their previous cartoon-like look and feel.
Over the course of several months, we created a new VisID, starting with updating their logo that had originally been drawn on a napkin. From their we created a new color palette, typography, art directed a photography library, created custom illustrations and wrote a full scope brand guidelines.
With the new VisID in hand, we created Caldera’s first OOH campaign, a gallery exhibit, film, and stationery system. Last but certainly not least, we designed and programmed a new Caldera.org website to capture Caldera’s ever evolving programs, engage with new audiences, articulate a depth of storytelling and become a source of truth and active engagement.
Creative & Design Director: Christin Spagnoli
Lead Designer: Macy Eiesland
Copywriter: Ed Harrison, Mariah Mercier
Webflow Programmer: Frances Brown
Producer: Tara Nielsen
