Rebranding a 115 year old organization
Overview
Rebranding a 115-year-old organization is not just a design challenge. It is an exercise in understanding identity, perception, and evolution.
Over more than a century, an organization builds a reputation through the people it serves, the programs it creates, and the stories shared about its work. Employees, clients, partners, and community members all develop their own understanding of what the brand represents. The question was not simply, “What should we change?” It was, “Who are we today, and does our brand accurately reflect where we are headed?”
Having not undergone a major rebrand in over a decade, the organization needed to better understand how its audiences and internal teams perceived the brand, what strengths should be preserved, and where opportunities existed for growth. To guide this process, we partnered with a creative agency to conduct research and develop a refreshed identity.
I led the internal rebrand process, serving as the bridge between the agency’s strategic and creative expertise and the organization’s mission, audiences, and day-to-day realities. The agency conducted extensive research, including 20 stakeholder interviews and more than 100 employee and client surveys, to uncover perceptions, strengths, and opportunities for growth. Using those insights, we developed a refreshed identity that honored the organization’s legacy while creating a more modern, cohesive expression of its mission.
Objective
Ensure the rebrand accurately reflected the organization’s mission, audiences, and future direction by guiding the creative process, refining agency deliverables, and leading organization-wide implementation across digital, print, and internal communications.
My Role & Responsibilities
In partnership with an external creative agency, serving as the internal lead across research, alignment, execution, and implementation.
Research & Discovery
Partnered with the creative agency as they conducted stakeholder interviews and analyzed 100+ employee and client surveys to identify brand perceptions, audience needs, and opportunities for evolution.
Audited existing brand assets across digital, print, and donor communications to identify inconsistencies, gaps, and opportunities to create a more cohesive experience.
Brand Strategy & Development
Collaborated with the creative agency to refine the visual direction, providing strategic feedback, creative inspiration, and detailed recommendations to ensure the new identity reflected the organization’s values, audiences, and future goals.
Reviewed creative concepts and provided iterative feedback on design, messaging, and brand applications, helping translate research insights into a final brand direction.
Developed a cohesive narrative framework to guide messaging and visual expression across programs, campaigns, and communications channels.
Design System
Implemented a unified visual system including updated typography, color palette, logo usage, and design principles.
Helped translate the new identity into practical brand standards and guidelines that teams could easily apply across channels.
Created social media guidelines to ensure consistent brand expression across platforms.
Led the implementation of the new design system across 100+ program flyers and presentation templates, partnering with designers to update materials while maintaining program-specific needs.
Oversaw rollout across 300+ assets, including print materials, presentations, donor communications, digital platforms, and campaign materials.
Rollout
Built an internal brand hub where staff could easily access updated templates, guidelines, and resources.
Presented the new brand strategy to staff, sharing insights from stakeholder research and explaining not only what changed, but why the changes mattered.
Developed internal presentations and training materials to help teams confidently apply the new identity in their everyday communications.
Coordinated a brand launch event featuring leaders from the adoption and nonprofit sectors, providing staff with branded toolkits and resources to support adoption.
[Show old vs new design]
[Show color palette]
[Show progression of the logo]
[Show fonts]
Outcome
The rebrand delivered immediate and measurable impact across internal and external channels.
Within weeks of launch, we saw:
95% positive response rate from staff and clients
150%+ increase in social media engagement
Significant improvements in brand consistency across all touchpoints
Stronger alignment in messaging across programs and departments
Over 300 assets were redesigned and standardized, establishing a cohesive brand system that strengthened recognition, improved communication clarity, and supported long-term brand equity. Assets included flyers, powerpoints, letterhead, business cards, ad templates, social media graphics, social media guidelines, and final brand guidelines.
[Show social media]
[Show final brand guidelines]
Key Takeaways
Brand is more than design
A successful rebrand requires alignment between visual identity, organizational values, and lived experience across teams.
Research drives relevance
Stakeholder input ensured the brand reflected both internal culture and external perception.
Systems create consistency
A scalable design system allowed the brand to be applied consistently across 300+ assets without losing flexibility.
Internal adoption matters as much as external rollout
Equipping staff with tools and context was essential to ensuring the brand was understood, adopted, and confidently communicated.
