A keystone effort of The Council of the Great Lakes Region, the Great Lakes Sustainable Growth Forum is an annual event that sheds light on the impact of the Great Lakes. It showcase the region’s socioeconomic and environmental strengths and assets. It unifies leaders on the strategic importance of the Lakes.

As the Council underwent a rebrand, it became important to upgrade the identity of the Forum. Creative Chameleon Studio worked with the Council to elevate the logo and brand elements of the Forum, giving it a new look that will establish it as an energetic, important annual event for years to come.

Tying the colors to the Council’s new brand was important to help solidify the connection between the event and the host organization. So we kept the foundational blue, but then expanded the palette into sunset colors that gave the Forum vibrancy and energy.

We originally explored a custom typography approach for the logo, but then realized we needed an icon that better captured the breadth of impact the Forum covers. The final design was an icon that depicts the core vision of the Council and the Forum. The five ovals represent our five Great Lakes. Each oval grows in size at it moves forward, capturing the goal of steady and sustainable growth in the Great Lakes regions. The shifting colors of the logo represent the breadth of impact by the Great Lakes, from the water to the people to the economies.

The final brand design for the Great Lakes Sustainable Growth Forum gives the event flexible assets, a vivid color palette, and an icon that will become synonymous with economic growth for years to come.