Empowering Americans to Vote

Democracy Works is a civic-tech nonprofit that provides reliable election information through trusted partners and widely used tools like TurboVote. Despite powering millions of voter interactions, the organization faced low awareness of the parent brand, fragmented product branding, and the need to clearly signal nonpartisan credibility in a polarized environment. Democracy Works engaged me to lead a comprehensive brand evolution to unify its portfolio and strengthen trust across partners, funders, and institutional audiences. Working closely with leadership and marketing teams, I helped develop a clarified brand architecture, new logo suite, and a cohesive visual identity system that positions Democracy Works as a trusted technology partner helping voters participate in elections. The resulting brand balances authority with neutrality and provides a flexible foundation for their important mission to grow.

Visit democracy.works

Services: Brand Identity, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Brand Architecture

The Logo

The Democracy Works logo is built around a custom D+W monogram that reflects the organization’s role in supporting voters with reliable election information. The D is formed with forward-moving arrows/chevrons that convey progress and innovation, while the W is constructed from two checkmarks that reference voting, action, and trust.

FROM THE CLIENT

“Chris brought an exceptional level of thoughtfulness and professionalism to our brand project. What impressed me most was his commitment to truly understanding our brand ecosystem before putting pen to paper—he asked the right questions and challenged us to think more strategically about our identity and positioning. The design work Chris delivered exceeded our expectations in every way. He ran a collaborative and thorough creative feedback process that ensured we didn't just get something that looked great, but something that would serve both our immediate needs and long-term vision.

Chris has a rare ability to push his clients to aspire for greatness while keeping the work grounded and practical. I wouldn't hesitate to work with Chris again or recommend him to anyone looking for a designer who combines strategic thinking with outstanding creative execution.”

Brenda McNary
Director of Marketing & Communications
Democracy Works