Visual Identity
WITH DETROIT EQUITY ACTION LAB
Stakeholder engagement and branding for a racial justice fellowship.The Detroit Equity Action Lab is an initiative of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University. It brings together advocates, organizers, and community leaders to dismantle systemic racism in Detroit. Through its year-long fellowship and ongoing organizing, the initiative fosters shared learning, collective strategy, and sustained engagement in the fight for justice.
The Work Department developed a brand identity that reflects Detroit Equity Action Lab’s bold, grassroots approach while maintaining a connection to the Keith Center. Through workshops with fellows, alumni, and staff, we explored how the initiative should be recognized. Participants emphasized that its mission is not static; it is a movement that disrupts, connects, and activates.
The resulting logo embodies momentum and transformation, with streamlined letterforms and an A designed as a right-facing triangle, symbolizing change and action. The red, yellow, green, and blue color palette is inspired by themes that emerged during workshops: energy, urgency, and interconnectedness. These colors make the identity stand out while mirroring the diversity of the Detroit Equity Action Lab’s community and the breadth of its work.
The initiative’s new identity balances authority and playfulness, clarity and abstraction, urgency and long-term commitment. Through an inclusive process, we ensured the brand is more than a logo—it reflects the people and work that make this movement possible.
View other work with Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights.