Illinois DMV Rebrand

Illinois Secretary of State reached out to our graduating class at UIC to help rebrand Illinois' DMV in order to not only make it more welcoming but also to improve it's efficiency.

Illinois Secretary of State reached out to our graduating class at UIC to help rebrand Illinois' DMV in order to not only make it more welcoming but also to improve it's efficiency.

Illinois Secretary of State reached out to our graduating class at UIC to help rebrand Illinois' DMV in order to not only make it more welcoming but also to improve it's efficiency.

About the project

In collaboration with Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, teams of UIC design students—now graduates—worked together to redesign Illinois DMVs. Our goal was to create spaces that are more welcoming and inviting, while improving efficiency for both employees and customers, resulting in a shorter, more pleasant experience for everyone.

In collaboration with Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, teams of UIC design students—now graduates—worked together to redesign Illinois DMVs. Our goal was to create spaces that are more welcoming and inviting, while improving efficiency for both employees and customers, resulting in a shorter, more pleasant experience for everyone.

In collaboration with Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, teams of UIC design students—now graduates—worked together to redesign Illinois DMVs. Our goal was to create spaces that are more welcoming and inviting, while improving efficiency for both employees and customers, resulting in a shorter, more pleasant experience for everyone.

Date

May 1, 2024

Client:

Illinois Secretary of State

Services:

Rebrand

Stage 1 —

During most of the first semester, our entire class did extensive research on the current DMV situation in our state. This ranged from sharing our own experiences and what we dislike about it, to visiting DMVs and asking real customers for their thoughts on the matter and what they would like to see implemented or changed to improve their experience.

Stage 2 —

For my take on this issue, I really focused on the wayfinding. I wanted to create signage that was easy to follow along as well as easy to understand for people who do not speak English which is very common in our area. This is where I decided that creating iconography would be a great way to solve this.

The final icons for my team's take on the DMV rebrand consisted of bold sharp lines to match the typeface that was meant to relate to road lines along with two diamonds always inserted somewhere in the icon that stood for the two lowercase "i's" in Illinois.

Due to the great response from the Secretary of State on the icons, I decided to not only create these for the wayfinding but create them as a concept that can be in social media, posters, illustrations on buildings and trucks/cars. This meant creating icons that now could tell the story of Illinois. All icons were now related to signage, Illinois, and driving. And due to their strict rules on the angles the lines had to go and the sizing of them, you could easily combine these icons together to create a narrative. At the end we ended with over 100+ icons.


Stage 3 —

Our team’s final concept for the DMV rebrand was “Highways + Byways.” The idea centered around the 45-degree angle, a visual element often associated with driving—from the angles of intersections to directional signage and road layouts. This angle became the foundation of our design system and was integrated into the custom typeface, iconography, and overall visual language. By leaning into this geometric consistency, we created a brand identity that felt dynamic, directional, and distinctly tied to the driving experience, while also maintaining clarity and accessibility for users.