Blog

Creating The Visual Connection For LBBC

March 3, 2015 Branding, Logos

 

This fall, Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) will be celebrating 25 years of service and support. They are also planning a major move to accommodate their growing enterprise, followed by the launch of a new, more responsive website—a critical tool in their suite of exceptional information products. The confluence of these three major milestones necessitated a re-imagining of their visual identity—one that will better align with their vision, mission and message.

Masters Group Design was honored to be selected to lead the creative process. What we valued most was the opportunity to engage in a design process that mirrored the way in which LBBC does its daily work—community-focused, inclusive, and conducted in the spirit of true partnership.

 

STEPS

 

STEP_1

new survey

We created an opinion survey encouraging the community to provide feedback about LBBC’s brand and, in particular, the current logo. Using social media and LBBC’s email list, we engaged over 1,100 survey participants, ranging from those who were very familiar with the organization to those with little familiarity. The insightful perceptions we garnered gave us greater understanding of the power and impact of the brand.

 

STEP_2We reviewed the survey data, packaged it into content buckets, and created a findings document. We learned where consensus had been built and where weakness existed. Although the audience was diverse and some had only loose LBBC connections, the many recurring and poignant themes presented greatly influenced our creative strategy.

 

STEP_3We conducted a workshop with key stakeholders comprising staff, past and current board members, volunteers, and women affected by the disease. This group’s intimate knowledge of LBBC enabled us to learn and prioritize LBBC’s core values, personality traits, and distinctive characteristics. We asked critical questions regarding use of the full name vs. the abbreviation, the relevance of color, and whether the new logo should reflect the experience of breast cancer or be more aligned with the attributes of the organization.

 

STEP_4

creative-brief

We synthesized the findings from the survey, feedback from the stakeholders, and input from management to shape a concise creative brief that outlined the target audience and perceptions of LBBC, including their greatest strengths and key messages. The brief also provided clear direction regarding the use of existing imagery, themes, and color. This served as the road map for our creative exploration.

 

STEP_5

final art

We engaged in a prolific and exciting concepting phase that yielded many options, including those that referenced LBBC’s longtime butterfly icon and those that sharply departed from it by using a more abstract or typographic approach. Threading together the entire concepting process was a focus on communicating strength, support, and connection, and creating a logo that could inspire hope. Stakeholders reconvened to review our top four logo concepts. After a lively discussion of pros and cons, they narrowed down the options to two. We furthered our exploration and received feedback from our partners at LBBC until a final logo had been selected.

 

STEP_6

underdrawing

We finalized the drawing, color palette, and formatting options for the logo and submitted it for final approval. We are now working on the rollout of the comprehensive visual identity across LBBC’s electronic and print materials.

 

INSPIRATION

At the first logo presentation, we named this concept “Connection.” It was inspired by a quilt idea, where multiple strands were interconnected to express not only a blanket of support but the communal network that LBBC weaves together by providing trusted information and support. After many internal iterations, the quilt graphic was simplified until it evolved into just two dynamic shapes joined at the center.

 

logo solo

 

As a unit, they reference the long-standing butterfly that so many people associate with LBBC. At the same time, the shapes become a new symbol, one that at its core is about connection—connection to a community, connection to expert information, connection to a network of support. The shapes embrace one another in a trusted grip, communicating the reliable nature of this 25-year-old organization. The graphic is sturdy and strong, a modern and mature expression of the LBBC of today and the future. It is accompanied by a type display that boldly stands in all uppercase letters, with an emphasis on Living Beyond. This subtle weight shift helps to communicate hope—that people are more than a breast cancer diagnosis. The color palette signifies an important duality that is embedded in the organization’s culture, a place where one can find strength and warmth, information and compassion, trust and community.