May 03, 2021 Image How do you define MCAD? Where is MCAD headed in the future? What matters most to our students, faculty, staff, and community? Over the last year, a team of creative minds across disciplines and departments have been exploring those questions as the college embarked on building a new brand which will be unveiled this summer. “This process was about much more than updating a logo, although that’s definitely one of the more visible signs of our work,” says Annie Gillette Cleveland, Vice President, Communications and Marketing Strategy. “Instead it was a very rigorous exploration of our aspirations as a college and the values we believe matter most to our community, students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It is a reflection of our institution’s path forward.” Following stakeholder interviews, competitive reviews, and internal group soul searching, the Brand Strategy Team reviewed and redefined MCAD’s mission, vision, and values, articulating a new emphasis on teaching and nurturing not only artists and designers, but also innovative thinkers, creative leaders, and engaged global citizens. Next, the team collaborated with key faculty members, board members, DesignWorks students, led by Kayla Campbell ’16, MFA, and a team from local agency KNOCK, inc. to reimagine MCAD’s outward-facing brand. With the current one in existence for more than a decade, the team developed a more holistic and accessible system embodying the transformative spirit of today’s MCAD. Angie Vogt ’11 was selected as the lead designer of the new branding, becoming the first MCAD alum and the first woman to create the college’s brand identity. “The new branding is a clear representation of an MCAD that is bold, transformative, and accessible,” says President Sanjit Sethi. “The living mark of MCAD is more inclusive and adaptable, and reflects an institution that’s positioned to take on new ambitions and opportunities. With a focus on articulating the core DNA of MCAD and the aspirations for our community's future the rebranding dovetails perfectly into MCAD’s strategic planning work which will be completed in fall of 2021.” The public will begin to see this new brand and identity come to life in a redesigned MCAD website, corresponding signage across campus, and many other communication materials. “This project represents a pivotal moment in MCAD history,” Sethi says. “I am grateful for the time, acumen, and care offered by Board Trustee Todd Paulson, co-founder of KNOCK, inc. and his extremely talented team in collaboration with our MCAD team. They’ve helped us create a transformative brand that reflects the dynamic and engaged community we have at MCAD.” A special thanks to those people who have made this new branding come to life: Kobby Appiah ’11, Gene Valek, Diana Ross-Gotta, Board Trustee Greg Hoffman ’92, Angie Vogt ’11, Kayla Campbell ’16, MFA, Hannah Taylor ’19, Kindra Murphy, Jan Jancourt, Erik Brandt, and DesignWorks students. Meet the Designer Angela Vogt received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago for Fine Arts and Post-Baccalaureate in Graphic Design from MCAD in 2011. Now working as freelance creative director and designer in California, she has worked for over 11 years creating branding for various small businesses and local agencies such as KNOCK. “I love that MCAD is a fixture for creative opportunity and community in Minneapolis, so I was honored to be part of the future of MCAD through this re-branding, in collaboration with the teams from KNOCK and DesignWorks,” stated Vogt.