The Illini fingerprint

As a designer, patterns that are unique and add visual interest naturally catch my eye. But the best elements of a visual identity are rooted in the brand in a meaningful way.

That’s true about the “Illini fingerprint” – one of my favorite elements of our new brand. The fingerprint represents the power that’s inherent in individuals at the U of I. “Individuality” is one of our seven “brand powers”, and the brand belief created around it says this: 

"We believe in the power of individuality to contribute to meaningful change.  Seeing the potential in each individual, we are devoted to supporting and cultivating what makes them unique, serving as a catalyst to help them recognize and harness their power."

Here are a few of the ways I’ve been playing with the Illini fingerprint:

In this example below, I’m simply working with solid colors, incorporating the fingerprint into the background to create texture.

Here’s a great example where I’m using a combination of our fingerprint and photo treatments. The fingerprint graphic can really stand out when used on top of these gradient map applications. Test out some of the transparency settings to achieve a more compelling look.

In this final example, I’m masking out bold letters using the font Montserrat, and using the fingerprint as a way of filling in some of those letters in “The Power of I” in a fun way.

There's more about the Illini fingerprint on the graphics page of the brand guide, where you can also download the design assets. I’m looking forward to seeing how you use it, in designs for your unit, too. Be sure to share with us on Twitter (@UofIMarketing), or send me an email!