Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego

An ambitious arts organization launches with a full palette.

Ica San Diego Gabriel Rico
Challenge

How does a new arts organization balance audience awareness with a challenging agenda?

With a courageous mission to present experimental art that questions everything—and equally ambitious goals to bring art to everyone—the ICA San Diego needed a flexible, multi-functional identity that would create instant recognition and invite people into the experience.

Visual identity

See the C.

A bold, out-of-proportion C references “Contemporary” within the full name, creating a memorable mark at even the smallest sizes. For more expressive applications, stylized alternate Cs enable the brand to emphasize an ever-changing dynamic.

Ica Miresball Business Cards
Brand toolkit

More ways to be seen.

Used in headlines, the bold C becomes a shorthand for “see” that brings the brand into the conversation, reminding everyone there’s always something new to C.

Ica Miresball Christine Howard Sandoval
Ica Miresball Billboard
Ica Miresball Minerva Cuevas
Ica Miresball Bus Stop
Ica Miresball Tote Bag
Digital

Matching color to campus.

With two locations—ICA Central and ICA North—hosting a full slate of programming, the organization needed to ensure visitors arrive to the right place. A vibrant color system gives each campus a distinct presence throughout the digital experience.

MiresBall has created a strong and recognizable brand identity that can evolve over time, with tools to keep it fresh and interesting.
Gaela Fernandez Florin, Director of Advancement Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego
Outcome

The new identity toolkit enables a range of different uses, helping the ICA create more impact in more places.