Manual
Obama Foundation
Obama Foundation
Obama Foundation
The Obama Foundation, established in 2014 by former U.S. President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, seeks to inspire, empower, and connect individuals to drive positive global change. Through a variety of programs and events worldwide, the Foundation equips emerging leaders with the skills, resources, and networks needed to maximize their potential and amplify their local impact on a global scale.
A centerpiece of the Foundation’s work is the Obama Presidential Center, scheduled to open in Spring 2026. Located in Jackson Park on Chicago's South Side, this global center for change will feature a museum, public library, and spaces for community activities and events. It is envisioned as a hub for learning, reflection, and civic engagement, serving as a beacon of hope and action.
To better reflect its mission and inspire a new generation of changemakers, the Obama Foundation embarked on a journey to redefine its brand identity. Manual was entrusted with creating a forward-thinking brand expression that resonates on a global scale. The result is a redesigned identity and design system that is inclusive, inspiring, and dynamic—built to engage a diverse, worldwide audience while honoring the Foundation’s core values and mission.
Barack Obama has left many legacies, big and small. Among them, one that should not be underestimated: as the first presidential candidate to embrace a contemporary approach to branding.
The 2008 rising sun logo felt like a refreshing, clever emblem of the first digitally-native presidential campaign. As a whole, the campaign’s visual language brought many into the fold, reinforcing the message and persona of a modern leader – relatable, accessible, and in service of all Americans.
It's only fitting, that branding is equally vital for the Obama Presidential Center. Collaborating closely with the Obama Foundation, we set out to create an identity that embodies forward momentum, community ownership, and the transformative power of individual action in driving meaningful change.
The challenge:
The Foundation sought to refresh its brand identity to mirror the clarity and connection embodied by its staff, the emerging leaders it nurtures, and the Obamas themselves. Those who carry out this mission navigate multiple dimensions simultaneously, balancing:
• Imagination with pragmatism
• The local with the global
• A deep respect for history with a forward-thinking vision
• Seriousness with joy
The identity for the Presidential Center needed to encapsulate all of these qualities. Yet, there was no existing identity system within the Obama Foundation that could be simply extended to this new entity. Our challenge was to take key elements, reimagine their connections, and push the Obama brand into new, forward-looking territory.
“Manual’s challenge was no easy task. They had to navigate an organization with many internal stakeholders and external partners—ensuring that every design decision we made together would add up to a cohesive experience across all the Foundation does, and crucially, at the Presidential Center, which we’re building in real-time.”
Hashem Bajwa
Chief Creative Officer, Obama Foundation
A three-part theory on how to move forward.
1. To move forward, one often works backward.
The project began with a vision for the Obama Presidential Center and how it should be experienced. This wasn’t just about reinterpreting a presidential library—it was about creating a space that draws lessons from the past while inspiring forward movement, empowering action, and motivating change.
We envisioned a new type of institution that addressed a deeper, more multidimensional need. It would be both local and global, approachable yet urgent, dignified but also exuberant. At its core, it would celebrate the changemakers the Foundation supports—those who embody the values that define the Obamas themselves.
2. To move forward, one can’t forget the starting point
While we retained the iconic rising sun logo, we also kept Gotham—the typeface synonymous with the 2008 presidential campaign, the same one that gave us the powerful ‘HOPE’ in Shepard Fairey’s influential poster.
Since our culture has evolved since 2008, we felt the use of Gotham should evolve too. To reflect this shift, we infused fresh energy by introducing its Condensed Bold weight. Now, the typographic voice conveys a bold call to action and participation in the present rather than a broad, abstract hope for the future. It stands as its own exclamation point.
Refining an icon
Designed in 2006 as the primary symbol of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, the Obama logo has not only become the most recognized political logo of all time, but one of the most recognized logos in the world, period. Embodying hope and a new day with its rising sun, the logo continues to serve as a powerful symbol of hope and change.
To do justice to this icon of design, we made subtle yet important optical improvements—ensuring the logo would shine in all contexts, from a favicon, to animations and large-scale signage.
A new type of Gotham
Gotham has earned its place as a cornerstone sans-serif typeface, iconic for its connection to the Obama legacy. To bring a more dynamic and energetic voice to the identity, we paired Gotham with Gotham Condensed. This combination strikes a balance that sharpens the tone and amplifies the message, giving the identity a fresh, youthful energy.
A multitude of voices
Collaborating closely with Sara Soskolne at Monotype—who previously contributed to the original Gotham typeface at Hoefler&Co—we expanded the use of Gotham Condensed Bold to create three bespoke versions specifically for Presidential Center contexts and communications.
These custom display typefaces represent the multitude of voices converging at the Presidential Center and symbolize the center’s diverse programs, ranging from civics to arts and culture, athletics, and sustainability.
Gotham Slab Condensed is a robust slab-serif display typeface with an editorial tone, inspired by American wood type. In contrast to Gotham’s geometric style, its bracketed serifs adopt a more humanist approach, exuding warmth. It is well-suited for communications related to civics, history, and education.
Gotham Stencil Condensed employs unconventional stenciling techniques, creating a dynamic tension and contemporary aesthetic. Featuring stylistic sets with varying angles of cuts, these alternate characters evoke a sense of movement through the connections between neighboring characters. It is well-suited for communications related to community engagement, and sustainability.
Gotham Inline Condensed is a bold and dynamic display typeface with layered, intricate detailing that adds depth and visual impact, especially at larger sizes. Its striped character design is a nod to the Obama rising sun logo, creating a sense of connection and continuity. While it’s particularly well-suited for athletics-related communications, its versatility also lends itself to music, performance, and other expressive contexts.
3. To move forward, one must move.
To capture the dynamism of the center, we incorporated patterns that convey movement in both static forms and animation. The radial geometric patterns embody The Obama Foundation’s theory of change: the ripple effect of small actions leading to larger, meaningful impacts.
Additionally, we developed a comprehensive motion graphics toolkit to support communications across web, video, social media, digital exhibitions, and beyond.
A call to action:
The Foundation calls on us to “Bring Change Home,” encouraging us to use our individual power within our communities to create the change we hope to see. Its voice balances the urgency and magnitude of today’s challenges with an inviting approach to taking action. To its authority, we sought to add energy and approachability, enhancing its connection to the communities it serves.
The initial expression of this work is a new website for the Obama Foundation, created by Work & Co, as a way to learn about the Obama Presidential Center, and serve as a container for the immense range of events, ideas, stories, and communities the Center will support.
“This is about far more than a new visual identity and set of guidelines. It's about uniting behind our mission and expressing it in an engaging way—energizing our teams and communities, and inspiring people to create positive change in their world.”
Hashem Bajwa
Chief Creative Officer, Obama Foundation
Vibrant illustrations by Sarah Madden and Lorenzo Gritti bring central themes of the Foundation to life, such as empowerment, inclusivity, community, and progress.
The Obama Foundation aims to inspire, empower, and equip its internal teams too, not just the broader public. The new identity serves as a rallying force within the organization while also engaging the rest of us.
To set their internal teams up for success, we authored, designed, and built a comprehensive online brand guide, bringing together their narrative and visual expression into a single source of truth.
The ‘Brand World’ portal, complete with interactive and editable sections, downloadable assets, and clearly defined design principles, equips the communications and experience teams with everything they need to convey the Foundation‘s stories and activities.
“As with any brand identity for a large organization, the success of this work lies in its ability to be practical and impactful, and in our ability to implement at the high standards that Manual has set. The work they poured into the brand standards is testament to their dedication to ensuring design effectiveness.”
Hashem Bajwa
Chief Creative Officer, Obama Foundation
When the Presidential Center opens, this work will be extended to wayfinding, environments, tickets, maps, uniforms, and beyond. It will also ensure the architecture of the building, by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, always feels as it should: grounded in community, and open to all.
This work would not have been possible without the deep collaboration between Manual, The Obama Foundation, Work & Co, Myself and Others, and Monotype. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved.
“Manual has been a true partner to us. Having led creative teams over the years—at agencies and in-house brand teams—I can’t stress enough how well Manual listens and designs with intention.”
Hashem Bajwa
Chief Creative Officer, Obama Foundation