Community Growth Breakthroughs CEO reached out to me when it was time for a new brand identity.

There are many reasons to launch a new brand: it could be you’re starting a new business. Or, it could be that there is a shift in the way your current business operates. This happened recently to a client of mine. It was time to close shop on her old business, and open up a new venture that is more future-thinking when it came to her clients.  With that, she needed a new brand identity to meet the needs of this new venture.

The Challenge

My client was transitioning her business, shutting down one operation, and opening up a new one. Originally she and her business partner operated a cause marketing company. Their products provided social media and web apps that help their clients run marketing campaigns for socially responsible organizations. It was a great business, but my client knew it was time to transition towards what she saw as a trend in raising money for social causes.

Born from this transition was Community Growth Breakthroughs (CGB). Their new focus is on using website platforms and digital solutions to support growth in the community and the community’s business. Their biggest emphasis would be on setting up crowdfunding websites for socially responsible businesses.

We needed to transition the CafeGive Social business to CGB, giving CGB it’s own unique business look and feel. CGB needed to come across as more serious, using technology as a hub for their solutions.

The Process

I started the project by conducting a research and discovery phase. This is one of my favorite parts in the design process. Here I interviewed the client to get a full understanding of her new venture, including: the message she wanted to get across; her target audience; competitors and peers working in the same sphere; and any distinguishing characteristics that makes her business stand out.

My client also made it clear that she wanted the following creative considerations: a modern look that came across as more serious and technology-based than her previous business; and to have a focus on community and local business.

From this research I helped established the “brand identity tone,” a set of descriptive words that, when combined convey the sentiment and overall mood of a brand identity.

When it comes to designing, I always establish tone words to go along with the project. In these logo design and brand identity projects, establishing tone words are an integral part of my process.

For CGB, our tone words were:

• Innovative

• Trustworthy

• Modern

• Stable

• Confident

• Sophisticated

Along with the tone, I presented a mood board that integrated a phrase that summed up her new look: “Non-profit community organization meets sleek bank.” I don’t often put a phrase like this together in this phase, but in my research this phrase bubbled to the surface.

 

Based on all this research, I moved on to the logo concepting phase. Each logo needed to meet the criteria based on our tone, and the client’s creative considerations. I needed to encapsulate that this is a business that provides technological and web solutions to community-based organizations that need fundraising help… that’s quite a bit to capture in one icon! Here are the original concepts I presented:

 

 

I went abstract and literal in my logo concepts. 2 concepts used a butterfly icon denoting transition, change, and hope. The other 2 concepts are more abstract, indicating web, interactive, and dynamic themes. I used gradient and ombre color techniques, ebbing from one color to the next, using that to communicate the idea  of transitioning from one to another—what I saw as CGB’s clients journey as they look for funding. All fonts were contemporary and simple, using clean sans serifs that are geometric and friendly in nature.

The Solution

After presenting the initial round of logos, the client chose  the butterfly icon. She loved the concept of transparency in the work, so we went with transparent wings in the icon, creating an overlay that denotes movement and trust.

From there I finalized icons, color palette, and photography direction.

 

 

The final task was to create a website design that incorporated our original brand identity tone, and the elements from our brand discovery. I used the color palette in places to call out copy and testimonials; I was also sure to include technology-based imagery to showcase the type of work CGB does. Photography deeply enhanced the experience by showcasing a diverse population of small businesses.

 

Success

The new comprehensive brand identity has repositioned my client’s business to an innovative solution for small businesses seeking funding. CGB is now poised to help their  clients create the unique web platforms needed for small business crowdfunding. With its ground-breaking business model, a confident and sleek brand has been released giving the business a well-deserved distinctive voice in the industry.

—

I work with creative entrepreneurs and agencies to help realign their brand identity so it feels fresh and fearless. My clients finally feel empowered to share their business look and feel with the world.

Do you want to be fearless when you show your business to the world? Do you want  to share your passions and talents to a broader audience? Do you want your business image to be as fresh and creative as what you offer to your clients? Do you want to be the professional on the block, and stand out from the rest of the crowd? Let’s work together.