California Urban Water Agencies

California Urban Water Agencies (CUWA) aims to keep California’s environment and communities thriving. The nonprofit coalition includes 11 major urban water agencies that collectively deliver drinking water to two thirds of the state's population.

In 2024, Sheepscot was brought on to direct CUWA’s leadership and staff, first, through the development of a new brand, and then to build a website and a suite of brand assets to improve stakeholder awareness and build trust among key audiences.

DISCOVERY

To inform our strategies and design, Sheepscot led CUWA’s project team through a Discovery process. Together we prioritized audiences, reviewed the brands and websites of comparable water agencies and coalitions, and outlined the objectives for CUWA’s organizational messaging. An interactive workshop with CUWA’s core project team and a series of iterative presentations grounded our subsequent development of the logo, brand styles and messaging.

LOGO

The CUWA logo is an encapsulation of the coalition’s mission and values. Water rings radiating outward represent the ripple effect of CUWA’s impact on member agencies, their customers, the water industry and the state of California more broadly.

The mark suggests a unified coalition (circles embracing the name), both balanced (symmetrical, organic shapes surrounding the C) and impactful (a single drop can generate an dramatic impact).

PRINT AND DIGITAL DELIVERABLES

Using the graphics and styles developed in the project’s first phase, our team designed and produced a refreshed CUWA website and accompanying suite of brand assets that incorporate key messages and graphics in support of CUWA’s communications goals.