Two Ph.D. students at University of California, Irvine had pursued various training opportunities on campus and around the country, but often felt their experience in science communication, science policy, and academic training spaces didn’t reflect the experience of scientists on the margins. In 2018, after only six weeks of planning, they held their first Reclaiming STEM workshop – the first of its kind created to center science communication and science policy training specifically for marginalized scientists (LGBTQ+, POC, Womxn, disabled people, first-generation, etc). Reclaiming STEM was created in the belief that increasing diversity of scientists requires training that accounts for the challenges that under-represented groups face, and the group aims to build a new community and network for those marginalized scientists to learn to advocate for their community and science through their research.

As they worked to raise the platform from the local level to a national reach, the founders of Reclaiming STEM were seeking consistent branding for reports, advertisements, and with which to approach sponsors. Specific considerations for this project included the need to avoid cultural and gendered images and colors so as to maintain inclusivity in branding as well. The logo design project included the production of a style guide which outlines the full color scheme and provides examples of logo usage, collateral design, and suggested typography.