Justice Oregon for Black Lives
Branding a groundbreaking philanthropic initiative
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Created in the wake of nearly two months of demonstrations protesting the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others, Justice Oregon for Black Lives is the largest initiative in Meyer Memorial Trust’s history.
Our longtime client Meyer Memorial Trust worked with us in 2020 to develop a comprehensive brand identity for this new initiative. Justice Oregon for Black Lives was in the process of being co-created with Black communities across Oregon to advance racial justice and equity in the state. It was vital that they could show up with a vision that felt optimistic, bold, and rooted in symbols of Black tradition.
We worked with designer Mathew Barnes to execute the visual identity. He created modern illustrations as the basis for the language, along with type, color, and layouts.
The Strategy
Defining the experience goals
Hope
We are in a dark time, but there is so much light born out of our collective power and love. This is what we see and reflect back on.
Community
This initiative is built on listening and community organizing to support individuals: to change mindsets and systems all across Oregon.
Elevate + Build
The work of this initiative strives to lift up and center Black lives.
The logo is based on the image of the Sankofa bird (pronounced SAHN-koh-fah). In the languages of Ghana, Sankofa translates to “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.”
Launching a campaign
As part of the project, we developed a series of social templates and presentation materials that the Meyer communications team could use to spread the word to their nonprofit grant partners about the initiative, its purpose, and the nuts and bolts of applying for funds. We also helped to seamlessly integrate the new initiative into the foundation’s website.
As a new initiative within philanthropy, it was imperative to make sure our brand stands out and represents the voices of those communities most marginalized. The team at Smith & Connors listened carefully to our goals and to understand our audiences, provided a design strategy that highlighted the values we were seeking to get across and ultimately partnered with us to design the brand identity that speaks to our core communities we are here to serve.
D’Artagnan Caliman
Justice Oregon for Black Lives Portfolio Director, Meyer Memorial Trust
Project Scope
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Brand Identity -
Marketing & Communications
Next Up: Arizona Community Foundation
Arizona Community Foundation
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