Branding a historic march, turned virtual.
Commemorating the 57th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, where Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech,” the 2020 Virtual March on Washington needed to capture a new generation of young, black Activists, respect and honor the legacy of the historic march and civil rights leaders, reflect on the current racial inequity the Black community was experiencing, and engage folks virtually with an identity and website that would drive actions around voting.
The concept was based on a core idea: Renew the dream. A way of reconstructing the past, while building a new way forward. Archival photos of the past and present-day marches, and bold colors referencing the energy of young activists, alongside regal metallic colors and purples that serve as a reference to Dr. King formed collages. They formed the key illustration style for the virtual march and aimed to capture the energy of a physical march.
The core typeface, Bayard, by Vocal Type was directly inspired by the posters of the 1963 March on Washington and Bayard Rustin an organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.
A range of brand assets were created including merch, social graphics, social posters, zoom backgrounds for the Divine Nine (nine historically Black fraternities and sororities).
Millions showed up to the March in person and online. There were over 464,000 page views during the two-day march and 59,000 sign-ups.
Role: discovery, concept/creative direction, design
Logo & website design: Ben Ostrower