YMCA of San Francisco's Chinatown Logomark Design

San Francisco’s Chinatown YMCA has been a vital part of the Chinatown community for one hundred years. The complex recently underwent a $25 million renovation that included a brand new pool, cafeteria, classrooms, spin room, and new single-room residences. Eager to highlight its improved facilities and illustrate its specific connection to the Chinese community in the neighborhood, the Y approached Hot about creating a new identity that was inspiring and evocative of its unique mission.

FULL STORY

A delicate project
To create an identity for the Chinatown Y, Hot Studio had to be sensitive to both the neighborhood’s Chinese community and the existing brand identity of the national YMCA. Hot sought feedback from Chinatown residents and went through a brand identity strategy phase to identify key attributes that the identity was to convey. Along the way, Hot remained mindful of the national YMCA’s parent brand, and made sure the local and national identities were complementary. The resulting identity—a symbol that employs traditional Chinese characters to represent people coming together—is respectful of both the community and the national YMCA.

Getting to know Chinatown
Though Hot frequently works with local and regional nonprofits, this project represented one of the first chances the firm had to work directly with the Chinatown community. Working with the Y gave designers a chance to learn first-hand about residents’ values, and incorporate these findings into an identity that is ultimately a reflection of both the Y and the people it serves.

A source of pride
As the reopening date approached, the Chinatown Y’s new identity began appearing around Chinatown, on banners and even on a crane being used as part of the facility’s renovations. Like the renovations themselves, the identity became a symbol of the Y’s commitment to the Chinatown community for the next hundred years.