Pierce Transit
Brand Refresh
Pierce Transit’s brand lacked clear standards and governance, resulting in inconsistent execution across teams and declining internal trust in design quality.
As Art Director, I led a comprehensive brand and process overhaul to create alignment, improve efficiency, and elevate the overall perception of the brand.
Client
Pierce Transit
Role
Art Director
Services
Led brand strategy, system development, and cross-team implementation.
The Challenge
Although core brand elements existed, there were no clear guidelines for how to use them. Designers were left to interpret the brand individually, leading to:
Inconsistent visual output across channels
Declining design quality and cohesion
Limited time for design reviews and feedback
Erosion of trust from internal stakeholders
The Approach
I started by auditing current outputs and surveying the design team to identify systemic gaps. From there, I focused on both brand clarity and operational scalability:
Built a searchable, centralized brand guidelines system
Standardized typography, color usage, and ADA-compliant accessibility standards
Developed 50+ custom icons and a flexible set of brand elements
Launched a cloud-based asset library integrated with Adobe tools
Structured assets using atomic design principles (elements → components → templates)
Redesigned the design review process, increasing review coverage across projects
Created 25+ reusable templates (presentations, posters, digital signage, handouts)
The visual direction balanced being modern and approachable to engage younger riders, while maintaining credibility appropriate for a public agency.
The Results
Reduced design production time by ~30% through templates and centralized assets
Increased brand consistency across 5+ departments, aligning previously fragmented outputs
Improved design review coverage by ~2x, leading to higher quality and fewer revisions
Accelerated project turnaround times by ~25%
Achieved widespread adoption of the asset library and templates across the organization
Strengthened internal stakeholder trust, reflected in ongoing positive feedback and increased demand for design support
