Cherokee broadband branding & website

project detail
  • 2011
  • media box studios proj.

Owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee Broadband Enterprises provides internet, webhosting and surveillance services to rural, remote and un-served communities on reservation lands in North Carolina. Cherokee Broadband came to Media Box Studios to revamp their branding and website to help them compete amongst the "big guys" like Verizon and Hughes Net. Staying true to the Cherokee culture, it was important not only to choose colors carefully but to also incorporate the legendary water spider and create a balance between technology and nature.
Looking at the competition it was clear that using green as a primary color for the website would help Cherokee Broadband stand out from the crowd. The team decided to go with large, abstract imagery to give the site a modern feel. When I created the site's final design, I opted for an image of a spider web with dew drops – playing up nature, the spider legend, and hinting at technology with the high contrast and pattern within the drops of water.
As I worked on the Cherokee Broadband logo, I knew the client started with a spider and was expecting just an improved version of it. I tried to draw inspiration from the water spider when I created what is now Cherokee Broadband's logo. The spark-like shape is modern but also resembles the spider's legs, while the orange color plays off the flame the spider carried in her basket, burning a mark on her back.