North Texas Food Bank
Brand Identity
NTFB’s twenty-year old identity had a strong brand presence within the community, but it failed to reflect the sense of innovation behind NTFB’s new ten-year strategic vision and the non-profit’s goal to provide 92 million meals a year by 2025. Senior leadership agreed that NTFB needed a more modern identity while maintaining their existing brand equity.
Founded in 1982, The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is one of the largest food banks in the country. It distributes donated, purchased, and prepared foods through a network of more than 200 Partner Agencies, and provides access to nearly 170,000 nutritious meals every day.
RSW did a thorough audit of all communications to see what was working and what was not. This included an evaluation of print and electronic communications, wayfinding, fleet graphics, and more.
Brand Identity
Brand Implementation
Non-Profits
A comprehensive brand audit unveiled that the color orange was not only a unique differentiator that made a powerful visual statement, but also had a distinctive flair in the non-profit marketplace and was ‘ownable’ for NTFB.
Before making recommendations, RSW also examined the equity of the existing brand identity. For example, we concluded that the wheat stalk illustration, though stylistically outdated, clearly communicated the company’s mission to “passionately pursue a hunger-free community.” We also concluded that the color orange had a distinctive flair in the non-profit marketplace.
In addition to the identity, the signature look was applied to the new NTFB website, and the launce coincided with their annual holiday awareness campaign, also developed by RSW.
RSW’s first step was to audit the identity and its many applications to determine what was working and what was not. For example, it was clear that the orange color was a unique differentiator and created a powerful presence. However, the orange box was difficult to work with in many applications, and many felt its look was outdated.
With a goal of delivering 92 million meals a year by 2025, it was imperative that NTFB’s new identity align with the innovative nature of the company.
First, the new identity includes a signature look. In addition to an updated, more legible typeface design, an arrow is cleverly incorporated into the base of the wheat stalk symbol to represent ongoing improvement and growth, as well as the “north” in “North Texas Food Bank.”
By keeping the wheat stalk and the color scheme, the identity maintains some of the existing brand equity. It’s also easier to use. With the orange box shape removed, there are now two design options available: a vertical arrangement, or “staging,” and a horizontal one. The wheat stalk and the typography are also much easier to see at smaller sizes.
A brand style guide, easily accessible online, provides a roadmap for applying the new identity to communications. A simple, bold graphic style builds on the look of the new identity, and has been applied to donor and partner communications, truck graphics, website and mobile communications, and social media. Because orange has been associated with NTFB for some time, most of the new brand applications use it as a dominant color.
NTFB’s new look was introduced as part of their annual awareness and fundraising holiday campaign. Based on donor research, the campaign follows the food bank’s previous strategy in that it shared stories of hunger from the community. The stories, however, were delivered in a new, more modern package. More concise language, portraits of people in orange hues, and the new identity created a powerful message on billboards and other media.
The new identity easily works in different applications. A comprehensive style guide was also developed, allowing NTFB to maintain control of the identity with a minimum of effort, without losing its integrity.
With almost 800,000 hungry people in North Texas, NTFB has to constantly think about what they are going to do tomorrow. Now, they have a brand that reflects their forward-thinking approach, and they hope it inspires more people to join their fight against hunger.