Backed by Us
BACKED BY US™ is a new cultural and economic initiative launched by Woodlawn Central. It is a rallying cry for community ownership, collective power, and pride on the South Side of Chicago. Built to live on merchandise, in public spaces, and across future digital tools, BACKED BY US™ represents what it means to be funded, supported, and driven by the people who live there.
THE LAUNCH Playbook
As Woodlawn Central prepared to launch BACKED BY US™, the initiative needed a visual identity that could stand on its own. This was not a sub-brand or campaign extension. It was the beginning of a movement. The phrase would live on hoodies, stickers, posters, and community activations, and eventually anchor a branded digital currency. The identity needed to feel bold, expressive, and unmistakably rooted in the culture of the South Side.
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The Challenge:
The challenge was to create a visual identity that carried real meaning, not polish. BACKED BY US™ needed to feel powerful without being corporate, expressive without being chaotic, and culturally resonant without borrowing from trends. It had to work just as well on a t-shirt or sticker as it would on a building wall or future digital platform. Most importantly, it needed to feel owned by the community, not designed for them.
Solutions:
- Designing a bold, high-impact logo that feels rooted in hip hop culture, streetwear, and grassroots organizing.
- Creating a typographic system with strong presence and movement, capable of standing alone across merchandise and public-facing assets.
- Developing a supporting color palette that complements Woodlawn Central while also functioning independently across print, apparel, and digital use.
- Building flexible logo variations, including primary marks, submarks, and icons, so the identity works across many formats and scales.
- Establishing a visual language that signals pride, ownership, and collective power, not institutional messaging.
Key wins included:
The final identity system was documented in a brand style board that outlines logo usage, typography, color concepts, and visual direction.
Through discovery, one insight guided the work. This identity could not feel minimal, safe, or institutional. It needed to feel lived-in, energetic, and unapologetic.
The Result:
BACKED BY US™ launched with a visual identity that feels owned by the community it represents. The brand stands confidently on its own, works seamlessly across merchandise and physical spaces, and sets the foundation for future activations and digital expansion. Most importantly, it communicates exactly what the initiative is about: economic power, cultural pride, and collective investment driven by the people themselves.
