SoCal Tech Forum · Brand identity case study
When Rancho Cucamonga's tech meetup incorporated as a nonprofit and became SoCal Tech Forum, we redesigned its logo for the new name, built a full identity system around it, and delivered a 22-page brand guide its volunteer board uses to keep every meetup, post, and podcast on brand.
For years, the Rancho Cucamonga Tech Forum brought local technologists together each month under a recognizable mark: a hexagon framing a sound wave, with "Tech Forum" and "Rancho Cucamonga" set beside it in a blue-to-green gradient.
By early 2025, the forum had outgrown its city name. Members were driving in from Los Angeles and Orange counties, and the organization had incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit under a new name, SoCal Tech Forum. The new name needed a logo, and the logo had to work hard:
We worked through the forum's board, sharing options in rounds so each decision built on the last, and kept the brand guide in step with the logo so the system was ready the moment the logo was final.
Phase 1
We started from the forum's existing logo files and the board's rebrand checklist, and agreed on the brief to change the name and keep the aesthetic.
Key deliverables
Phase 2
We retraced the original logo with the new name, then explored layouts that balanced the name with the icon.
Key deliverables
Phase 3
We refined the board's favorite direction for balance and proportion, and tested it with people beyond the board before finalizing.
Key deliverables
Phase 4
We turned the logo into a complete identity, documented so the board could use it without a designer on hand.
Key deliverables
Phase 5
We delivered every file the board needed to update its channels and its slides for the April meetup.
Key deliverables
One logo can't fit every space, so we designed seven formats: a primary logo, a stacked secondary logo for square and vertical spaces, an icon for favicons and profile pictures, a wordmark, monochrome versions for embossing and swag, versions for light and dark backgrounds, and event-specific variants.
The variants give the forum's programs their own identity within the brand, such as "The Gathering" for events and "Podcasts" for its show.
The palette pairs a dark moderate blue with a dark cyan-lime green, the gradient at the heart of the brand, plus white, black, and a light gray. Each color is documented in HEX, RGB, and CMYK, and four accent pairings give events and the podcast their own colors.
Type follows a clear hierarchy: Rajdhani Bold for the logo and headlines, Montserrat Bold for event sub-brands, and Poppins Regular for body text, with examples of what not to do.
The guide shows the brand in use: event banners in three layouts, speaker graphics for the blog, and the podcast player. It also sets imagery rules (real people in real conversations, not posed stock photos) and turns the sound wave into an illustration and pattern that adds motion to any graphic.
We kept what members already recognized: the sound wave and the blue-to-green gradient. The hexagon opens up into a free-standing sound wave, "SoCal" sits in a solid gradient badge, and "Tech Forum" carries the most weight, as the board asked.
The result reads as the same community with a bigger reach.
Clear-space and minimum-size rules, along with examples of incorrect use, help anyone on the board place the logo correctly, whether on a slide, a banner, or a sponsor's co-branded materials.
The board and longtime members were attached to the original hexagon icon. We redrew it with smoother, rounded edges and gave it its own section in the brand guide, so it stays part of the forum's story and is ready for future uses such as awards, a hackathon, or a podcast series.
Before
After
We delivered the final logo, the brand guide, and every production file on April 5, 2025, the day of the forum's April meetup, so the board could update its slides and materials before the event.
Since then, the board has used the guide to plan printed materials, including pull-up banners, table tents, name badges, and pieces co-branded with sponsors, and to choose one-color versions of the logo for items that can't print a gradient. The brand now represents SoCal Tech Forum in its monthly meetups, its blog and podcast, and partnerships such as TechCon SoCal 2026.
| Goal | What we delivered | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Keep the recognition the forum had built | A new logo that keeps the original sound wave and blue-to-green gradient, plus a preserved version of the original icon | The original icon is documented in the 2025 brand guide as part of the forum's history. |
| Emphasize "Tech Forum" while giving "SoCal" a clear place | A layout with "Tech Forum" at full weight and "SoCal" in a gradient badge, refined over several rounds with the board | Chosen by the board as the final logo in April 2025. |
| Give the volunteer board a system for every channel | Seven logo formats, color and type standards, imagery rules, and templates in a 22-page brand guide | The board has used it to plan banners, table tents, badges, and co-branded sponsor materials. |
| Be ready for the April 2025 meetup | Final files and the brand guide delivered in under six weeks | Brief on February 26, 2025; final package on April 5, 2025. |
Sources: project messages and design files, February 26 to April 5, 2025; SoCal Tech Forum Brand Guidelines 2025 (22 pages); SoCal Tech Forum board discussions, April and May 2025; TechCon Global press release, March 10, 2026.
We've stayed close to SoCal Tech Forum since the rebrand. We've helped it apply for Google Ad Grants and continue to support its growth, and Digital Mountaineers is a proud sponsor of the forum.
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