Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is an innovative contemporary arts centre founded in 1993 in San Francisco. Holding exhibitions, performances and films, as well as groundbreaking civic initiatives and community partnerships, YBCA is described as a place where creativity, people, and new ideas collide. Their mission is to generate culture that moves people, given the role of arts organisations in spurring and supporting major social movements.

There was a general lack of awareness around their vision and dedication to redefining what an art center can and should be. Design studio Manual Creative were asked to step in to create a new brand identity and communications strategy.

Manual worked alongside YBCA to transform all aspects of their visual and verbal identity and expand their reach and relevance for people everywhere. 'The twofold goal of the identity is to position YBCA as a leading-edge art institution — vibrant, active, vital, energetic — and communicate the organization’s belief that culture is a catalyst for social change.

At the heart of the identity is a new iconic logo — drawn from YBCA’s geographical site and a conceptual representation of the notion of expanding and extending. Across all communications, the logo connects to visual content via a simple and flexible graphic system.

The verbal identity of YBCA is expressed in campaign communications that defines art as an active, participatory experience — thus enabling YBCA to establish themselves at the center of the conversation and effort to shape the city of San Francisco.

The visual identity and communications were brought to life across all touch-points including signage, exhibition graphics, brochures, posters, outdoor advertising, identity guidelines, and a new website created in partnership with Bureau for Visual Affairs.'