Project Details

The objective of this project was to choose a non-profit organization that needed help with their brand. I chose the Catholic Charities Diocese of Rockford to help them achieve a better level of communication through their brand. 

The CC (Catholic Charities) is under the umbrella of the Diocese of Rockford, which already has an established “brand” (They had a logo and stationery only). I chose to rebrand the organization from the bottom to the top (create a proper brand identity for the CC, and then apply that brand to the Diocese of Rockford), which is unconventional practice, but I thought that the entity that is in constant interaction with people was the CC, not the Diocese of Rockford, and thus, it is the most entity in need of rebranding help.

I focused my work on one service of the CC: the Refugee Resettlement Program. My goal was to create an example and a system that can be easily applied to all the other programs, and eventually, to the whole organization. 

After doing some preliminary research on different similar organizations, I then interviewed the director of the Refugee Resettlement Program, and we came up with a few brand attributes. We agreed that the CC must communicate these messages: Being modest, practical, available, inviting, and comforting. And thus, these became the framework for what the brand must communicate.

Development

The logo—inspired by the navigation menu on the CC website—represented Guidance, Outreaching, and Compassion. We found that the lighthouse is a good metaphor for what the CC resembles and works for: Giving hope to those in need.

Typography had to be readable, have an expansive family, support other Latin languages, and be economical. I found that Minion 3 and Myriad Pro meet all these criteria.

Colors had to be soft, light, and have good contrast when combined. I found that the peach/pinkish color (1635 U) to be welcoming and soft, which works with the brand attributes. The second color is a contrasting navy color which is a great companion for the first main color. 

The deliverables consisted of a completely redesigned logo with stationery applications, brochures, a flyer, a donations envelope, a poster sample, and a new website.