The second part of our frumpy-to-fabulous tale is where we get into the heavy lifting. (catch up on Part 1 here, if you missed it.)

To go along with the new name and positioning statement, we needed to freshen up the old Food Bank logo, which looked like this:

Notice I said “freshen.” As tempting as it can sometimes be to start from scratch, in this case, that wasn’t the best idea. Just like a celebrity with worldwide recognition, we didn’t want to do so much “work” that she wouldn’t even look like herself anymore. So instead of pulling out a blank piece of paper, we started tweaking the existing logo, a little at a time, until the overall look was a cleaner, more sophisticated version of itself.

The first issue at hand was the type. In the old logo, the Food Bank name was set in Helvetica. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with good ol’ Helvetica. It’s kind of like a little black dress—it looks good on everyone. But since the Food Bank is such a unique place, we wanted to inject a little more personality into the brand.

We ended up choosing a typeface called Hermes. A bit more distinctive, yet still a strong foundation for the rest of the logo.

While Hermes is a great font to use for the wordmark, it doesn’t work very well for chunks of body copy. Our solution was to choose a complementary typeface that would fill in where Hermes didn’t do the best job, and help keep all of the Food Bank’s brand materials consistent.

Enter Caecilia:

Caecilia’s a flexible girl, and comes in many different styles and weights, making her a great fit for not only the positioning statement, but use in brand collateral as well.

Next up, color. After lots of research, we came to the (very scientific) conclusion that everyone and their mama’s food bank logos feature shades of green. Yes, green makes sense, but its well, predictable. Purple? Not so predictable. And again, we didn’t want to abandon the feel of the old logo, so the purple stayed.

The question was, which purple? The old logo was lacking a consistent color across all applications. Now, if you’ve been faithful blog readers, you should know where this is headed. Yes, a PMS color! Since we were freshening up anyway, we chose a more subdued shade of purple that added some richness and sophistication to the logo.

For multiple reasons (versatility being key), the logo was kept to one color. But we did establish a complementary palette to be used throughout Food Bank brand materials. You know, it’s that whole consistency thing…

Our final order of business was polishing the logo symbol itself. Over the years, the Food Bank had realized that the detail in the basket of food wasn’t reproducing well, so simplifying and streamlining were at the top of the list.

We took as much detail out of the food as we could, while keeping it recognizable. We also took the crosshatch detail out of the basket and “rotated” the basket in order to achieve a side view of the handle.

Well, now, loyal readers, you’ve finally made it to the big reveal! Drumroll, please…

Tada! And with the positioning line…

We are thrilled with how our brand makeover project turned out, but more importantly, so is our client. Since the transformation, we’ve helped the Food Bank revamp their website, freshen up brand materials like business cards and brochures, and add the new logo to the building signage and Food Bank vehicles.

Man, someone should totally give us our own makeover show…

If you’ve lived in Columbia as long as I have, I’m sure you’ve seen it: that ubiquitous purple circle adorning trucks, donation bins, t-shirts and flyers around town. I’m talking about the Food Bank logo. And if you’ve been paying attention over the past few months, you might have noticed that our friend is looking a little different these days (no, not because of Botox.)

Last fall, our longtime friends at the Central Missouri Food Bank approached VANGEL about working on a brand refresh. Since the organization’s start in 1981, they’ve done more than a little growing, and needed to update the brand in order to reflect that growth.

The first item of business was the name. While down here in Boone County, the Central Missouri prefix seems perfectly acceptable, the Food Bank actually serves 32 counties, including those in the very Northeast corner of our state. After much discussion, we suggested that the name be changed to The Food Bank of Central & Northeast Missouri. We felt the new name would help everyone in the Food Bank’s service area feel acknowledged and valued. We were also confident that this name adjustment wouldn’t be too disruptive, as it would easily accommodate the fact that most simply refer to the organization as “The Food Bank.”

After we established the new name, we started working on a new positioning statement. Over the years, the Food Bank has used a variety of positioning lines, based on the material and/or venue. While there was nothing wrong with the statements already in use, our goal was to come up with something that would be all-encompassing in its expression of the Food Bank’s purpose and mission.

So what did we come up with? Sharing Food. Bringing Hope. This new positioning statement sends a message that association with the Food Bank satisfies the needs of both giver and receiver. It creates positive opportunities for involvement on both sides of the relationship.

With a new name and tagline in hand, we were ready to give the logo a facelift. If this were an episode of Extreme Home Makeover, we’d be at the home-staging phase, where they bring in all the fancy new furniture and make everything look pretty. And in true Home Makeover style, you’ll have to stick around until after the break to see the big reveal…

Recently, our company finished a months-long project for Keep Columbia Safe, a grass-roots organization in Columbia, Missouri. Here is the case study, which shows how effective a cohesive, coordinated campaign can be.

Keep Columbia Safe is a grass-roots organization formed to rally support for community efforts to solve crime and promote public safety in Columbia, Mo.

THE CHALLENGE

Keep Columbia Safe was tasked with generating voter support for Proposition 1, a citywide ballot initiative authorizing the chief of police to use publicly-owned surveillance cameras as a tool to help maintain a safe and vital downtown area.

THE BACKGROUND

Columbia resident Adam Taylor was brutally attacked by a gang of teenagers in a downtown parking garage. The unprovoked attack was captured by a city-owned video surveillance system. Police reviewed footage of the attack and quickly arrested several of the attackers. Soon after, Taylor requested that the Columbia City Council hear public comment regarding the use of additional cameras downtown. The council denied his request.

Taylor and his family believed the use of safety cameras was a public safety issue that deserved broader public discussion. They approached VANGEL to create an organization that would help rally public support and keep the topic of community safety in front of the public.

Working with a group of interested citizens, VANGEL helped name the new entity Keep Columbia Safe, and articulate its primary objectives:

1. To educate the community about the organization Keep Columbia Safe.
2. To inform the public about the Proposition 1 ballot initiative and encourage people to vote YES on the use of publicly-owned safety cameras downtown.
3. To create a solid platform for advocating future community safety initiatives.

THE CAMPAIGN

To accomplish these objectives, VANGEL created a strong web presence for the organization that quickly and effectively reached community members. The website included information about the attack on Taylor, the initiative petition that placed the safety camera issue on the ballot, other public safety organizations with similar interests, and personal safety tips. Additionally, the website offered visitors an opportunity to express their opinion regarding the use of safety cameras. Nearly 2,000 people participated and Keep Columbia Safe generated nearly 8,000 web visits over an eight-month period.

Keep Columbia Safe also connected with the community through the use of social marketing. Acting as social marketing managers, VANGEL helped Keep Columbia Safe engage community members through updates on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Keep Columbia Safe accrued thousands of followers and fans, and drove hundreds of users to the website. One Keep Columbia Safe YouTube video received over 4,300 hits.

THE ELECTION

VANGEL created an integrated public relations and advertising campaign leading up to the public vote on Proposition 1 that included print, radio, web, television and direct mail. VANGEL also created a five-minute PowerPoint presentation promoting Proposition 1 that was used at more than 20 community presentations.

THE RESULTS

Resounding victory. Keep Columbia Safe’s Proposition 1 garnered 59 percent of the popular vote. The work continues at KeepColumbiaSafe.com.