The Good Change Collective
THE BRIEF
Leadership can feel lonely and, when you're fighting the good fight, it can be exhausting. The Good Change Collective's mission is to offer coaching and mentorship to leaders in the social change space.
When Cassandra approached me with her idea to start a coaching collective, the business itself was still in its early development phase. But she knew she wanted to do start things off on the right foot. She wanted the business to have a brand identity and website that would support a smooth launch of the business while also earning the trust of leaders in need of support.
SCOPE OF WORK
Brand Identity Design
Brand Messaging
Website Design
THE CHALLENGE
Shaping the Business While Shaping the Brand
Most businesses have a clear business vision when they reach the brand development phase. For this project, the high-level business idea was there, but some of the more specific details were still being flushed out. In truth, my brand discovery process can be a super valuable exercise for any business owner, no matter what phase of business development you’re in. For Cassandra, the deep dive questions helped her to reflect and think about her business in ways that would set the stage for meaningful brand development.
While we weren’t doing a formal brand strategy, we focused first on establishing some foundational brand messaging that would amplify the heart of the brand. This allowed us to truly shape the brand in a way that would resonate with its unique target audience.
THE STRATEGY
Balancing the Strength of Leadership with the Softness of Support
What we came to realize about her target audience is that as leaders, they’re committed to being that figurehead of strength, especially in the social change space. They’re always the individual that offers support rather than receives it. Our goal was to design a brand that spoke to the strength of their identity but in a way that was equally welcoming and warm.
DESIGN
Using Symbolism Where it Matters Most
Choosing the lions for the logo design clearly communicates a brand associated with leadership and strength. A pride of lions is known for its collective strength, which reflected beautifully what The Good Change Collective is all about: a network of support for those in leadership roles.
Brand Messaging that Shaped the Logo Design
One of the brand phrases we landed on was "Even the strongest leaders need someone in their corner". Which is why the logo design didn’t depict just one lion, but two. The biggest hurdle for their target audience was simply seeking support in the first place. So in that way, the lions also represent bravery, symbolizing the courage it takes to accept the support that’s being offered.
DESIGN
Custom Design Details that Create Ease
While the logo represented the strength of the brand, there were strategic design choices made that helped soften the overall brand personality. We modified the logo typography by rounding the corners of letters to give the logo suite a gentle aesthetic. On the website, we mirrored this design detail with round buttons and soft corners on images and containers. Collectively, these subtle design decisions are calming for the user experience.
DESIGN
Designing an Experience that’s Laid-Back and Energizing
In describing how she wanted her brand to feel she said it “needs to feel fun without loosing professionalism”. When reaching out for support, her ideal clients are dealing with overwhelm and burnout. It was important that the brand felt welcoming and inspiring. They are driven by a cause that inspires them and they need to recharge. This led us to use a brand colour palette that is grounded by a warm, calming neutral but is otherwise quite colourful. The brand colours serve to present a space that is both laid-back and energizing.
THE RESULTS
A Brand To Grow With
With a versatile brand identity system, an easy to navigate website design, and a brand messaging toolkit, her business looks the part even before it officially launches. Having invested in the brand from day one, she can now focus her attention where it matters most: building the collective.
She really got what my business was about even though I was in the middle of building it myself
I loved working with Jenny. She is attentive, creative and really got what my business was about even though I was in the middle of building it myself. I really like how the brand turned out and it was definitely worth the investment to also continue on to make a website with her and her partners help! I would recommend her to anyone with a similar business as mine.
Cassandra Carlsson, The Good Change Collective
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