2000-2020

2023 redesign

corporate brand identity design

REC Solar

REC Solar was one of the first major players in the solar industry. It was known for its strong safety culture and dedication to quality.

After several years of inactivity, REC Solar returned to the market in 2023 with different offerings. The new logo couldn’t be so radical a departure that it couldn’t be recognized; changing REC Solar’s identity could potentially ding 24 years of brand equity when they could least afford it.

This was my opportunity to change the logo based not only on the new direction of the company, but also on challenges it presented in the 7 years I had been working with it.

I started with interviews with a sampling across the company: accounting, project management, engineering. One of the ways REC Solar stood out from others was their retention rate. Many employees had been with REC Solar for at least five years when they were acquired by Duke Energy; a tenure upwards of ten years wasn’t uncommon. Employees who left during the Duke Energy years often asked to stay in touch, in case REC Solar became independent again, because they wanted to return.

Employee buy-in would be crucial to whatever changes I made.

During the interviews, it was clear that everyone was looking forward to getting back to REC Solar’s roots: selling solar in California. The San Luis Obispo office had been full of environmentalists, engineers in flip-flops, and people arriving late or leaving early if there was a good surf report. REC Solar was a stellar example of authentic, quirky California casual, and I wanted to capture that.

REC Solar grew out of a joint senior project by two engineering majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), embodying the university motto “Learn by Doing”. I wanted to honor that history. For inspiration, I turned to the 1975 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Graphics Standards Manual (Danne & Blackburn) and the 1977 United States Environmental Protection Agency Graphics Standards System (Steff Geissbuhler, Chermayeff & Geismar Associates).

REC Solar logo in white over a yellow to green to blue gradient. The gradient has a halftone treatment.
A photo of a silver Airstream trailer with custom graphics. They feature a yellow, green, and blue stripe along the side, and solar panels on a purple field, with rings of yellow, green, and blue behind them like a rising sun.
A website graphic of a young woman in PPE looking at tablet. She is positioned on a circle with a yellow to green to blue gradient with a halftone treatment. A monstera plant is also behind her.
A photo of stacks of business cards. There is a tall stack of white cards with 4 color printing in the center. It is surrounded by smaller stacks of 1 color printed cards, alternating neon green and neon yellow.
A photo of 3 bandanas with a custom paisley print. The bandanas are butter yellow with green and teal ink; dark purple with white and teal ink; teal with white and black ink.
A vector graphic of teal electric bus charging at a green station on a purple field under a purple solar carport. There are rings of yellow, green, and blue behind it.
A website graphic of solar panels superimposed over decreasing billing statements and a circle with currency in it.
The REC Solar logo over a field of a light grey halftone.

initial pitch

delivered to my boss

contains inspirations, concept, and trends. I was asked to identify trends to follow; I presented them as styles that could be incorporated, phased in and out, or be used for specific campaigns

brand identity proposal

presented to the executive team

contains messaging, logo, palette, type, launch collateral, sales collateral, stationery, apparel, and promotional items

brand standard

made available to all employees

contains everything, including where resources could be found

An in-house designer creates a lot of collateral, more than should be on a single case study page. Click here to see more collateral examples →

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