WABE, Where ATL Meets NPR

WABE 90.1 brings NPR News, music and the arts programming to hundreds of listeners every day. It serves to educate, entertain, empower, broaden perspectives, and create joy. It connects people to each other and the world.

CLIENT

WABE

YEAR

2016

ROLE

• Brand Identity
• Advertising

ABOUT WABE

WABE 90.1 is the NPR station of Atlanta. Apart from airing national shows by NPR and other NPR affiliated stations, WABE has its own shows, the most popular being City Lights with Lois Reitzes and Closer Look with Rose Scott. Since WABE is a non-profit public media organization, it relies heavily on donations from the public, mainly during its spring and fall pledge drives. This radio station has other initiatives such as hosting Community Events on matters that are of relevant interest, pertaining to politics, the environment, educational and recreational activities, and other issues that seek to engage people from communities near and far.

THE WORK

Since this radio station originally lacked a graphic designer, my role at this organization was to work on everything from pins and badges to billboards and banners. Redesigning the WABE website was one of the major tasks I had accomplished, after which I worked on the brand elements of the company like designing logos for the shows City Lights and Closer Look, and artwork for WABE podcasts namely Buried Truths, Political Breakfast, Bottom of the Map, and Did You Wash Your Hands?. Additionally, WABE digital banners and social media promotion, especially for pledge, were in significant need of improvement. This page covers the various kinds of brand related work I have done for WABE.

Brand Guidelines

Logo Variations

The WABE logo is a four-color identity. On light backgrounds, the tune-in number and tagline are set in black, and vice-versa. The single color logos are used only when the medium is set in black and white. If the logo is less than 200 pixels in width, the tagline is not included. In cases where space is really limited, the tune-in number is dropped from the logo.

Colors & Gradients

The four colors of the logo are represented in this section. The gradients are derived from the blue, purple and red, and are used only on billboards or website house ads/promotions.

Print & Web Typography

The Gotham font family is only used on print materials, such as fliers, brochures and billboards. The Roboto and Droid font families are web fonts and are used only on the WABE website.

WABE Sub-Brands

WABE produces some of its own podcasts and shows which range in style and content, and each logo was created to reflect the nature of these programs.

Political Breakfast is a lively and informed conversation between strategists from the right and the left who bring their personalities and passion to the table.

Buried Truths unearths still-relevant stories of injustice, resilience and racism in the American South.

Bottom Of The Map delves into a passionate exploration of Southern hip-hop culture and its impact on the world.

The Did You Wash Your Hands? podcast was produced to create awareness and answer questions related to COVID-19.

Closer Look is a community forum for and about metro Atlanta.

City Lights covers theater, dance, pop culture, visual arts and more.

Billboards & Bus Stops

WABE billboards are typically situated on highways. Keeping this in mind, the messages tie in national aspects with local issues showing the wide spectrum of news covered.

For street-side billboards or bus stops, only the logo and tagline are displayed since there’s limited space to work with and the best practice would be to highlight only the essential elements.

Roll-Up Banners

For major community events, updated roll-up banners were needed to establish the WABE brand at these events. The step-and-repeat banner acts as a general backdrop behind speakers or panelists on a stage. The single roll-up banners are either placed at the entrances of the event venues, or on either side of the step-and-repeat.

Brochures & Fliers

WABE brochures and fliers are produced for both in-house and community events. Fliers are mostly handed out at community events to inform audiences about WABE shows, such as Closer Look and City Lights, or to acquaint people about the organization itself. Often, brochures are produced to be handed out at career fairs, or for promotional purposes to woo investors and donors.

Premiums & Gifts

Pick A Pledge Gift

Most WABE premiums or gifts are reserved for pledge season. Depending on the dollar amount, donors can pick their pledge gifts ranging from mugs and water bottles to socks and t-shirts. Pins or badges are handed out at community events or given as tokens to guests at the WABE studio. These are some examples of the premiums I worked on.

Online Promotions

These online promotions were designed for radio pledge, pledge partnerships, and sweepstakes. For every community event hosted by WABE, events graphics are made for every size and platform. The sizes vary from 300×250 house ads to Facebook posts. For presentation purposes, only the Facebook posts have been shown here.