A (not-so-secret) identity for an evolving nonprofit.

SERVICES

Identity Design
Brand Collateral Concepts

DETAILS

Year: 2022
Role: Senior Designer

Cape is a nonprofit foundation established by the Redstamp agency as a way to strengthen other local nonprofits and contribute more to their community.

Primarily focused on digital and brand solutions for B2B, Tech & Saas companies—Redstamp is also engaged in helping several local nonprofit organizations through the donation of funds, equipment, time, and services. Recognizing the heroic efforts of the people and organizations that they support, the agency founders wanted to do more.

Empowering nonprofits.

Conceived as a platform to supercharge nonprofits, Cape’s initial purpose was to connect organizations with artists/designers and fund collaborative works that could raise money and help them tell their story. It has since evolved somewhat, and though still exploring methods to utilize its aid most effectively, it remains a power-enhancing tool designed to boost the efforts of community heroes.

More than meets the eye.

The ask was fairly simple, Cape needed an identity and some examples of how that identity could come to life across a range of potential applications.

Many approaches were explored for the identity. As I worked through them, I toyed with the concept of a hero hidden in plain sight and tried to create a form that reflected this—something that is more than meets the eye, that has meaning one might not see at first glance.

The final mark.

We agreed early on that the logo should capture its namesake in a representational way, a simple mark that expresses the idea of a hero in action without being too literal. We ultimately landed on a wordmark that used typographic form to depict a cape trailing behind a hero’s head. The letterforms are a highly modified version of Millie Round, a modern, angular script that we chose for its ability to convey a sense of quick, purposeful movement.

The hero’s journey.

A cape is a essentially formless thing. On its own there’s not much to look at but, when given motion, it comes to life. It flows, bends, folds, and follows the movements of the wearer—taking form with action.

Whether fighting crime or providing support for at-risk youth, the path to success is never a straight line, it takes work to get there. This mark celebrates the hero’s journey and the effort it takes to do something truly heroic.

Proof of concept.

In addition to the brand elements, I was asked to create a variety of proof of concept promotional items, clothing applications, and shipping/packaging materials. It’s yet to be seen whether these designs will be used but as the Cape foundation matures it will have a solid set of core brand materials to utilize as it sees fit.

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