ETA
Brand Strategy
Brand Architecture
Brand Identity Design
Sub-Brand Systems
Implementation Guidelines
Location
Minnesota, US
Strategy first. Design second.
Before designing anything, I had to understand the system I was stepping into. ETA lives within a much larger ecosystem. CEE sits at the top as the parent brand, with ETA acting as a sub-parent, and multiple sub-brands living beneath that. A system within a system within a system.
The goal became creating something that could bring clarity to that structure. The identity needed to feel connected to CEE while still living its own brand, and it had to be flexible enough to support future sub-brands that had the same goal.
A system of systems.
How do we create a logo that considers the sub brands before they're even made? The answer is to create them WITH the brand, not after. By creating an expansive logo system first, I was able to solve all of the problems all at once. Communicating the sub brand, and the sub brand's brands, all with a cohesive system that makes each one unique, memorable, and timeless.
Needless to say, there were dozens of ways you could solve this. Here's a few.
Where energy and efficiency meet.
The final mark is built around motion and connection. Two accelerating arrows converge at a single point, symbolizing the relationship between energy and technology coming together to move things forward.
ETA sits at the center of that convergence. It represents the role the program plays in driving innovation while making efficiency more accessible.
Simple enough, right? Well, what about the sub brands?
Sub branded brands.
Using the two converging arrows as a foundation, the system extends into a flexible sub-brand language built around connection. I designed an icon to represent each sector, and those icons are paired together within the structure, placed in opposing corners to create a clear and consistent visual rhythm of memorable logos.
What could have been a confusing set of acronyms becomes something easy to understand, letting customers save money on their energy bills, and not spending their own energy trying to figure out what this acronym stands for.
Messaging made for the customer, not big energy.
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A focused body of work that spans strategy, identity, and clear direction. Every project starts with an idea worth creating.
