OverviewCalifornia Creators for Nature is a program at the California Academy of Sciences that brings together five digital creators from across the state to build a movement for nature. It supports the Academy's Thriving California Initiative, reconnecting young people with the natural world. I led the design of the wordmark and brand identity for creators to use across their social content.
The logomark is inspired by the California Poppy. As California’s official flower, it carries instant recognition. As a small and strategic detail, I illustrated the petals to mimic sunrays radiating outward from a center point, representing the program's creators as emerging environmental voices spreading energy and awareness into their communities.
The identity needed to feel warm and organic without losing credibility. The Poppy struck that balance naturally: rooted in location, bright without being loud, and clean enough to hold up at the small scales of social content.
For the art direction, I pulled colors from California's natural landscape: warm golds, deep greens, and open sky blues to orchestrate a system that feels cohesive and alive.
Valentin Nguyen [val-en-teen noo-win] is a Californian designer with a love for illustration and visual storytelling. She is interested in, but not limited to, branding and marketing design. Her work is always driven by strategy, intention, and curiosity. She also loves cartwheeling, banana bread, board games, charcuterie boards, mid-century modern furniture, math, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York Times puzzles, cozy video games, solving Rubik’s cubes, collecting Smiskis, flossing, thinking, dreaming, helping others, and tossing things into her junk drawer.
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Select ClientsWalt Disney Imagineering Children’s Hospital Los Angeles California Academy of Sciences AG1 University of California, Los Angeles Pages for PediatricsFluenciesBranding
Brand Strategy
Visual Systems
Digital + Interaction
Print + Production
Packaging
Typography
Illustration