CDC Visual Identity Refresh
Key Points
- Led a 12-month effort to refresh CDC’s visual identity across 12+ centers and 10,000+ staff.
- Modernized typography, color systems, and graphic language while preserving accessibility and institutional trust.
- Developed dozens of role-specific templates across Adobe Express and digital platforms.
- Rebuilt the CDC Brand Hub to improve governance, asset access, and scalable adoption.
- Achieved rapid adoption across 20+ divisions, strengthening visual consistency agency-wide.
Details below
Challenge
CDC’s visual identity had become inconsistent across its 12+ centers, with pandemic-era urgency accelerating fragmentation. Logos were misused, templates were outdated, and communications lacked visual cohesion at a time when clarity and trust were critical.
The objective was not a rebrand, but a system-level modernization, restoring consistency, improving accessibility, and empowering communicators with tools that scaled across the enterprise.
We weren’t just refreshing a brand—we were rebuilding the system that helps one of the world’s most trusted health agencies communicate with clarity and confidence.
Strategy & Process
I co-led the refresh alongside the Associate Creative Director, beginning with a comprehensive audit of web, print, social, and presentation assets across the agency. External benchmarking across healthcare, education, government, and technology informed the modernization approach.
The goal was to build a timeless, flexible identity system — not chase trends. We refined core brand foundations, including typography and color systems, validating accessibility and versatility before securing alignment from senior leadership and center-level stakeholders.
We introduced updated graphic motifs and layout structures to expand visual range while maintaining institutional credibility. Following approval, we developed a comprehensive template ecosystem spanning Adobe Express, reports, fact sheets, social media, and presentation materials — designed for both designers and non-design staff.
The final phase involved rebuilding the CDC Brand Hub, reorganizing documentation, and integrating clear application guidance to support scalable governance.
Impact
The refreshed system launched to 10,000+ staff and quickly became CDC’s central design foundation. Within the first month, hundreds of templates were adopted across more than 20 divisions, including emergency response teams and national campaigns.
The introduction of Adobe Express templates fundamentally shifted how branded assets are created across the agency, increasing speed, accessibility, and enterprise-wide consistency.
The result was measurable operational efficiency and strengthened visual trust during a critical period for public health communication.
Why I Included This
This project demonstrates large-scale brand governance, system modernization, and the operational design leadership required to align a complex organization under a unified visual framework.
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