Branding for a running nonprofit in Rocky River.
Girls With Sole is a nonprofit organization based in Rocky River whose mission is to use free fitness and wellness programs to empower the minds, bodies and souls of girls who are at-risk or have experienced abuse of any kind.
The collection of merchandise includes athletic apparel and accessories. The more vibrant colors from the palette allow for some fun flashy gear!
The van’s motion parallels that of the mark. Employees may use this van to travel to and from events and to store necessary equipment.
The website allows users to navigate easily and learn more about the organization by exploring photos, stories, a calendar of events and more. The experience is consistent throughout desktop and mobile uses. The animation depicts the figure in motion running into the shoe. Once in place the colors invert and the mark scales back as the type slides in.
For the typography I chose Leska Sans, a humanist sans serif that nods to the subtle curves in the brand mark; it is approachable yet sophisticated. The color palette has a feminine feel that retains a professionalism. Brighter accent shades highlight the energy and vigor of sport.
Maintaining the more organic style of the mark, these icons are used on the website for navigation. The photography pulls colors and themes from the organization; it is utilized for mobile applications and publications.
I performed audience testing and received fifty responses from Ohio State students. The results demonstrated my mark was expressing the qualities I wanted. The exception was femininity, but I thought I could elicit that with the use of color.
I then combined multiple elements to convey both the abstract element of soul and the action of running. I wanted to reflect femininity through more curved and elegant figure forms, avoiding the traditional girl depicted with a pony tail.
I started by researching the marks of similar organizations as references. Then, I hand sketched iconic, indexical and symbolic items related to girls and running and went over them with ink.
Click the thumbnail to view my Brand Identity Guide!
