Team Pennsylvania
Team Pennsylvania
Keystone AI + Quantum Factory
When Pennsylvania's seven research-intensive universities, a super computing center, the lead public-private partnership organization in the state, and the Commonwealth itself turned to us to create an identity for their collaborative Keystone AI + Quantum Factory, we leaned ALL the way in.
We, of course, got smart on the partnership: the players, the goals, and the infrastructure of it all. But we went further to understand the less tangible, but equally important, transformative opportunity a successful AI + quantum factory represented for Pennsylvania’s economy and its potential to catapult the state into a leadership position within this new frontier.
The identity itself bore the responsibility of inspiring confidence and demonstrating capability necessary to secure investment by telegraphing the gravitas and expertise of the academic and institutional partners that fuel the Factory, a position of leadership at the forefront of AI + Quantum technologies, and a modern yet timeless aesthetic that established a benchmark for brand unity across the country. No pressure.
Industry
Components
We’ve been working in Pennsylvania, specifically in tourism and economic development, for more than two decades, and when we kicked off this project, we swore we were going to steer clear of keystone iconography. But, identity design has a funny way of developing, and with four options on the table, our team was in unanimous agreement that this keystone needed to exist.
Graphically representative of the collaboration between the network of partners across Pennsylvania, the icon telegraphed energy and progress with an excitement that maintained focus and sophistication.
PROUD MOMENT
We’ve never been ones to shy away from complex topics. We’ve sat around tables with doctors, lawyers, and some of the smartest educators on the planet, but biting off the creation of a brand for seven research-intensive universities, a super-computing center, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and PA’s lead public-private partnership organization was initially intimidating. We presented four options, but one was … in the words of a VERY intelligent partner … a slam dunk all around. Some dubbed it “the coolest keystone we’ve ever seen,” which, from a bunch of PA natives, is about as high praise as you can hope for. Others lauded the illustrative significance of the cross-state energy and collaboration. In the end, we were thrilled to have had a hand in this massive endeavor.
