To create a brand that people will remember, sometimes you have to start back at square one
Client Needs
Close the Gap asked us to help redesign their brand and digital assets to better reflect their mission and the spirit of their organization. The challenge? Finding an approach that would appeal to a younger demographic while retaining their existing donors.
Our Approach
With a full rebrand in mind, we created a new logo design, brand guideline pdf, social media design, email template, and custom website development.
The intro
Branding
When rebranding Close the Gap, it was vital that we be cognizant of their current donors and clientele. Keeping the design consistent and professional across platforms was key to the client’s ability to be accepted by a new, younger target demographic while not alienating their existing base.
We knew this powerful organization needed to make an equally powerful statement in their redesign. Combining political imagery with conservative blues and a bold, lively fuchsia, we struck a balance that spoke to both the history of our democracy, and the progressive future we’re headed towards.
The details
Logo
The new logo needed to connect with the organization’s mission: to achieve gender balance in the California Legislature through the recruitment of strong, talented women. Marrying the California Capitol Building with a feminine profile, we produced a design with the intent to create a bold, professional, yet empowering logo.
Typography
We chose typefaces that best represent the fresh, modern feel of the brand. When used consistently, this typography becomes a powerful brand tool and creates added visual interest.
Color + Pattern
Patriotic, stately blues, represent the history behind our democratic system while bold, vivid fuchsia is powerful and feminine, magnifying the mission of the organization to drag the California Legislature into the 21st century. While the blues and gray represent the past, the pink pushes us towards the coming reinvention of our democratic system— one that more accurately represents our country’s changing demographics.
The intro
Web
Once the branding was complete, we redesigned and developed the client’s website to make it aesthetically pleasing, consistent with our branding guide, and easy to use for both donors and prospective candidates.
The details
Website
We custom-coded the website, fine tuning the functionality and adding in engaging features, including a scrolling newsfeed to keep visitors informed. Because of the amount of text needed on each page, we highlighted the most important information with visually stimulating bold fonts and bright colors, allowing the more casual readers to quickly find what they were searching for.
The intro
Digital
In a time where getting lost in a cluttered inbox or social feed is almost inevitable, clean and engaging design is imperative. For CTGCA, we customized email templates and social media graphics that are easy to read and fun to look at for a subscriber on the move. Most importantly, the design helps keep them interested from start to finish.
The details
Depending on our customer’s needs, we use MailChimp or EveryAction to build our their email templates. For CTCGA, we use EveryAction, which allows us to custom-code and bring in key branding elements, adding a more personalized feel to our client’s emails.
Extras
For fun, immersive designs that garner views and drive clicks, we create animations and GIFs for use throughout the website, social, and email.
Social
Social media graphics feature bold typography, clean layouts, and fun illustrations to catch followers eyes and keep them from scrolling on by.
