This is a branding project I completed for the Riley Howell Foundation. The foundation was set up following the death of Riley Howell. Riley lost his life while tackling and stopping a gunman at UNC Charlotte. The main goal of the foundation is to help victims of gun violence through financial and emotional support. 

Working with the family, we decided the brand should reflect the life Riley lived. Riley loved the outdoors as well as athletics and working out. I was heavily inspired by backpacking and sports branding while considering the visual direction. 

The family initially wanted to use Riley's face as the logo, and I felt that creating a monogram would be a good way to honor that initial idea while also simplifying everything down. I was also inspired by a lot of sports and outdoor brands that tend to lean towards monograms.  

At a memorial event Lauren – Rileys Girlfriend – read the poem above in the closing statement of her speech. Hearing this poem was the inspiration for the monogram design. The R–representing the name Riley–takes on whatever background the logo is placed on. This reflects the central theme of the poem emphasizing that he is not dead, he is everywhere, and he is in everything.

I started the project by developing a stylescape ( a refined moodboard with a stronger visual direction). In developing the visual direction, I specifically considered what type of events the foundation might host. Most of the fundraising events center around 5K runs and workouts. Because of this, I made sure that everything I designed had motion to it. 

The color orange was Riley's favorite color, and it also happens to be the color for gun violence awareness 

Riley21 is the name of a cross-fit workout developed specifically for a fundraising event for the foundation. I developed a poster for the event along with a sticker design. The slanted text and line emphasize the sense of motion that I want to maintain throughout the brand.