Bringing Energy to a Sub-Brand: Redefining Youth Branding
Springboard Community Services (SCS) needed a dedicated sub-brand to engage 13–24-year-olds while maintaining a cohesive connection to its core identity. The challenge was to create a brand that felt modern and inviting without being overly trendy or disconnected from SCS’s professional reputation. The messaging and visuals had to be both dynamic and trustworthy, capturing youthful energy while maintaining the credibility of an established nonprofit. Early concepts needed refinement, requiring iterative collaboration to ensure the final brand resonated with both SCS leadership and its younger audience.
We partnered with SCS stakeholders to deeply understand their vision and audience needs. Through some focus testing, we refined two distinct visual directions that could appeal to the youth demographic. After rounds of feedback, we developed a solution that integrated core elements of SCS’s brand with new design elements that balanced modern aesthetics with timeless appeal. Our goal was to create a scalable identity that could grow with the program, and its varied offerings, while staying relevant.
To establish a strong foundation, we created a comprehensive logo library and brand standards guide. A signature “splat” graphic added playful energy, seamlessly blending with SCS’s main branding while reinforcing a youthful appeal. The existing brand character and colors were expanded with bolder, energetic tones and dynamic typography tailored to younger audiences.
A suite of flexible social media templates enabled SCS to maintain a consistent, engaging presence online. These templates ensured a visually compelling, on-brand experience across digital platforms, making it easier to connect with the youth audience effectively and organically.
We extended the brand identity with high-impact materials, including flyers, cutsheets, presentations, and a dedicated landing page. These assets ensured a seamless brand experience across all touchpoints, strengthening engagement and outreach efforts.
The final sub-brand successfully connected with its target demographic while staying true to SCS’s mission. Validated through youth focus groups, the branding resonated with young audiences and provided an authentic, approachable platform for engagement. What started as a logo request evolved into a full branding solution, equipping SCS with the tools to build lasting connections with youth and integrate seamlessly into its broader initiatives.