Waterfall Arts, Belfast, ME

Overview and Project Goals
Waterfall Arts is a community arts center located in Belfast, Maine, that serves to nurture and inspire creative expression across mid coast Maine communities of all ages and backgrounds. The organization believes that all people are inherently creative and brings programming, public studios, exhibitions, and accessible art experiences to an ever-expanding audience.

The “Waterfall”
In 2000, a small group of local artists gathered to share their affection for the two converging streams, ponds and waterfalls of the Kingdom neighborhood of Montville. The falls have been a source of many kinds of creative energy for ages. The steady energy of flowing water constantly calls people to contemplation and renewal, invention and industry, and, finally, the power of the arts in a community. This connection of natural and human history is at the heart of the Waterfall Arts’ story, purpose and mission: To create community in harmony with nature through the transformative power of the arts.

The organization has been described by members of the staff as “scrappy,” “joyful,” “inventive,” and “growing,” and there is a desire for an “edgier,” more modern, “cleaner” vibe when it comes to colors and aesthetics.

The organization wishes to create a Style/Brand Guide and to create a Template Library.

What is included in a Style Guide?
A style guide describes different brand assets like typography, color palette, layout, patterns, imagery, illustrations, icons, animation, UI elements, and other graphic assets. It includes logo usage, its versions and colors, and the do’s and don'ts.

Many style guides will also include things like brand strategy, tone of voice, editorial tips with examples, and so on.

A style guide will also include a few examples of proper use of these brand assets on real applications (business cards, stationery, signage, website etc.)

Waterfall Arts Style Guide Goals

Set guidelines for your logo
Define your color palette
Define and outline typefaces and how fonts are used
Spell out your brand voice
Include examples of applications

Style Guide Survey Round Two

Thank you for completing the first survey and sharing your thoughts about typefaces!

Typefaces Round Two

I’ve reviewed the data about the team’s preferred typefaces and narrowed down the choices for everyone to take one final look. The top two heading typefaces were League Spartan and Gilroy. Merriweather, Lora, and Archer rounded out the paragraph typeface options. Please have a look at the two groupings here and complete the survey below with your choices.

League Spartan Options

Gilroy Options

Color Palettes Round Two

The following five color palettes are variations of the first round of preferred palettes. Please take look at all five here on the screen. Please be prepared to rank them, 1 (first and top choice) through 5 (fifth and bottom choice).

Color Meaning

Each color has a meaning and a feeling that it conveys to your audience. This can vary based on the type of people you're reaching, but generally using the meaning of a color to help you determine a color scheme can help you create the feeling you want your organization to have.

Reds: energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination, passion, desire, love
Oranges: joy, vitality, optimism, enthusiasm, confidence, courage
Yellows: joy, happiness, intellect, energy, impatience, criticism
Greens: growth, harmony, freshness, fertility, possessiveness, balance
Blues: depth, stability, trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, truth
Violets: royalty, power, nobility, luxury, ambition, creativity, wisdom, magic
Whites: light, goodness, safety, innocence, wholeness, completion
Blacks: power, elegance, formality, death, evil, mystery

These next two color palette variations were created based on some feedback. Please answer questions or choose statements in the survey (below) about them.

WFA Style Guide Survey Round Two