Managing the visual integrity and future-proofing of a premier media brand.
The Challenge
A brand as large as WBUR—spanning daily news, podcasts, live events, and digital products—is constantly at risk of “brand drift.” The challenge was to maintain a rigorous standard of visual consistency across multiple internal teams and extern
The Strategy: “Systems over Rules”
I transitioned WBUR’s brand management from a static “set of rules” into a living, breathing ecosystem. By treating the style guide as an evolving framework, I focused on enablement: creating modular templates, clear typographic hierarchies, and accessible documentation. This empowered non-designers and partners to create high-quality, on-brand content autonomously, while I focused on the high-level evolution of the brand’s visual voice.
My Role
Brand Governance: Owned and maintained the WBUR Brand Style Guide, defining standards for color, motion, and illustration.
Strategic Growth: Proactively identified gaps in the brand system and engineered new guidelines for emerging platforms and audiences.
Mentorship & Review: Served as the lead visual gatekeeper, reviewing cross-departmental assets to ensure they met WBUR’s high standards for clarity and character.
The Impact
By moving toward a “living system,” I significantly reduced review cycles and production bottlenecks. The result was a more resilient, contemporary brand identity that scales effortlessly across new initiatives while maintaining the trust and recognition WBUR has built over decades.
