Creating a Digital Equity Brand that is Unmistakably Unique

Our review of brands and messaging in the digital equity ecosystem revealed a lot of organizations that were visually indistinguishable from each other and from many Internet Service Providers (ISPs). There are a lot of logos with Wi-Fi signals incorporated into them. There is an excessive use of blue. 

Our analysis revealed a clear path to differentiating 35 Mile Foundation from other players in the space. We devised a design strategy for creating a logo that symbolized digital equity without being overt.

When we first started our exploration into a visual direction for their brand expression, the 35 Mile Foundation team was open about their preconceived ideas and biases. They were also clear that they were open to being convinced of taking a different strategic approach.

The final color palette is radically different from what they first envisioned. Through exploration & discussion we landed on a color palette that’s unique, distinctive in the space and designed to grab attention. It’s bold and unexpected while remaining professional.

In addition, We made a strategic decision to move away from tech and embrace a more people-centric look. After all, their mission is built around digital equity. To accomplish our design goals we used soft rounded corners and shapes across the site along with photography that preferences people over technology.

Across the design system we utilized an interconnected motif and iconography that nods to people connecting digitally.

35 Mile Foundation had been operating in a low-key mode under a temporary name. We worked with them over several weeks and iterations to determine a memorable name that has meaning. We were looking for a way to express connectivity in their name in an unusual way. One of their board members supplied some information that led us to a meaningful conclusion.

Communications towers, such as cell towers, have a range of about 35 miles. Of course these aren’t perfect squares, they’re circles. For full coverage, the circles overlap. We thought that this was symbolic of overlapping connections that make digital equity so important. These overlapping circles are spread across the US, making them an ideal representation of 35 Mile Foundation’s national reach.

This bit of digital communications trivia helped us produce a name for the organization that creates a curiosity gap which leads to a compelling brand story that gets conversations started.

The illustrations used on the site are highly conceptual and feel like they belong in the digital space. They were designed to be more than objects but to tell their complex brand story.

They’re intentionally approachable with character & personality. The style adds a level of humanity to the design system. They have a hand-drawn feel to them because we literally drew each one. Our goal in doing so is to infuse humanity and personality into a design system for an organization focused on the digital realm.

Photography is central to the design system and brand expression. The photo art direction is more about people connecting than technology, though it tends to include technology to tell the full digital equity story. It also represents the diversity element that’s core to addressing the digital divide — a challenge that prevents many historically marginalized people from tapping into the modern digital world. 

While it’s not typically our [reference, the use of stock imagery was essential to the brand expression. We ensured exposure consistency for a unified look across the site. Also each image is slightly muted to reflect the serious pursuit of digital equity.

One of the challenges we addressed was finding compositional harmony among assets to work in collages and on their own as well as finding photos that work in the speech bubble shapes we used everywhere.

35 Mile Foundation started with a small team, but the brand is part of an effort to scale their impact, which will require more staff. In anticipation of their growth, they asked for a pitch deck for use in attracting additional board members. We were happy to supply this critical piece of communications along with core collateral such as business cards, letterhead, and email templates for their communications strategy.

We love working with the core 35 Mile Foundation team, but we know that as they grow, more people are going to be creating content, expanding the site, and utilizing the design system. Our brand guide is intended to help the team maintain brand consistency as new contributors get involved. 

35 Mile Foundation holds a unique position in the digital equity ecosystem. We built out their brand story in easily digestible pieces to quickly communicate their value proposition and theory of change.

We crafted statements that made the desired future state and the path to get there clear and concise.

35 Mile Foundation has a unique funding model. We highlighted the model as a component of defining their niche in the Digital Equity and Social Justice space. Defining your niche is critical to avoiding scope creep.

Rather than a typical Values section on the site, we worked with the 35 Mile Foundation team to define their philosophy of change. This deeper dive makes them distinct in their impact ecosystem.

35 Mile Foundation’s operations model provides them with flexibility that similar organizations lack. Explaining this and their relationships with grantees and partners required us to understand and then explain their overlapping programs.

Communicating impact areas and grant totals can feel dry and uninteresting. When designing the site, we brought in our development team to suggest ideas that make this information more attention-grabbing and scroll-stopping. The approach of having news channel-style chyron let us pack a lot of information into a small space in a compelling and engaging way.

When the time came to create an awareness campaign around the launch of the site, we chose a two-pronged approach. 

1. A direct outreach Email campaign. This included their existing partner list as well as contacting leaders of organizations identified as potential mission-aligned partners.

    
2. A LinkedIn campaign utilizing the personal accounts of the leadership team and board members.

The goals of the campaign channels were twofold: Entice people to visit the website and encourage potential partners to connect with the 35 Mile Foundation team.