Our client was the DC Public Library Foundation, a non-profit that helps DC Public Libraries with important funding and partnership opportunities, and our target audience were current, past, and prospective donors; and the broader DC community.

I collaborated with a client representative, a Creative Director and two Level 3 Graphic Designers.

Led a team of two designers through all major design stages, guided design direction, assisted with website design and coordinated with the client representative.

Develop the brand identity for a fundraising campaign for the donor wall at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, and to successfully secure a substantial donation pool prior to the museum's official opening.

The Foundation hired us to prepare a series of assets for the newly renovated Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Memorial Library. It seeked to raise funds by offering the opportunity for donors, at various levels, to be recognized on a donor wall at the library. The intent was to offer the broader community an opportunity to participate in a campaign that accepted smaller donations than might typically be required, generating a broader and more sustained connection. Lastly, donors were asked to nominate others in their stead, by either celebrating a family member, thanking a mentor and/or recognizing a colleague. Essentially, honoring a person who helped make their own dreams come true.

Although most of the content and narrative direction was set prior to starting, we assisted in the naming and messaging of the campaign. Our creative brief included naming suggestions in addition to the overall project direction. Our main focus though, was to create a logo and visual identity that matched the philanthropic intentions of the client while simultaneously promoting community and equity.

The aspirational nature and communal focus of the project required a more thorough and extensive logo development process than usual since it involved so many different stakeholder groups. The creative brief included multiple worthwhile suggestions to explore that couldn’t be captured between 2-3 options. During the concept design stage I prioritized research and variation. I instructed my team to choose “sets” of core words and descriptors, included in the brief, and prepare a design option for each. Through multiple internal workshops and charrettes, we generated over 12 unique and high quality logo options. We then presented some of these options, and through 2-3 rounds of elimination, arrived at a winning design.

The selected logo incorporates stars that are inspired by the DC flag, with a color palette that compliments the DC Public Library’s new brand identity. The circular aspect references the inclusivity represented by the campaign, an effort to ensure that any member of our community can be recognized and honored. In addition to the logo and graphic assets created for social media and other promotional efforts, the team designed and programmed a microsite which contained information about the campaign, and a “virtual wall” honoring the names which would eventually be added to its physical counterpart.

The Dream Makers wall was unveiled during the Grand Opening of the MLK Jr Memorial Library on September, 2021 with over 200 donations. The museum plans to continue expanding the donation wall and is currently at 320 donations. To learn more about the campaign, check out the website here.