Case Study
“I Have A Dream” Foundation Rebrand
CHALLENGE
A 35-year-old national education nonprofit needed help increasing its reach & unifying its voice across its network of thousands of students in 13 states.
SOLUTION
We worked with staff, students, board members, & other key stakeholders to implement a national brand refresh for the “I Have A Dream” Foundation & its 16 affiliates, including updated visuals & messaging. After months of research, conversation, & testing, we aligned on a path of elevating student voices & centering policy issues around educational equity & racial justice. We built easy-to-follow templates & guides to help local affiliates follow the new brand standards, & held workshops on design elements & principles, communications best practices, & brand strategy.
ORIGINAL LOGO
While the “official” logo is pictured below, as many as 13 different logos were in use throughout the national network.
Updated logo & tagline
The updated logo emphasizes the organization’s long-term social, emotional, & academic support, which spans from kindergarten through postsecondary. A young child is shown walking into the logo a student and leaving a graduate. The tagline helps differentiate “I Have A Dream” as an education-focused organization that focuses on community and empowerment of the whole student.
TEMPLATES & COLLATERAL
Easy-to-use and edit templates were shared with the whole network, so they could readily comply with the branding updates.
Website
We designed a custom website template that could be shared & customized throughout the network.
CommunicationS Strategy
After maximizing traction from the “I Have A Dream” Foundation’s “CBS Cares” campaign, which led to a Super Bowl half time spot & won a Communicator Award of Excellence, we expanded our digital strategy through interactive student campaigns & partnerships.
This strategy centered & elevated the voices of young people, empowering them to share their experiences in their own words. We held and live-streamed a national tour of Town Hall-style discussions on everything from the youth right to vote to Juneteenth, and partnered with Viacom & Michelle Obama’s “Better Make Room” & “Reach Higher” campaigns to amplify student stories, from Facebook to the White House.
By holding regular nationwide campaigns, from days of service to art contests, we made communications a natural byproduct of student engagement & enrichment.
Our educational equity thought leadership work garnered placement in outlets like the New York Times, Black Enterprise, & The Hill.
Digital Media
As part of the branding update, we conducted interviews with dozens of Dreamers to hear & share directly from their point of view what it means to be a Dreamer.
Events
We designed & crafted communications for IHDF’s annual galas, at venues including the Intrepid Air Sea & Space Museum, The Pierre, & Guastavino’s, with an eye towards increasing interactivity, learning, & student involvement.
