Identity design for small foundation
a logo and stationery project by GlassesOn

This project is for a small foundation that would like to develop a distinct logo and stationary system. Completely aligned with their mission and values, the organization’s visual identity will initially be used on their collateral materials and website and eventually publications and other materials.

Update 8-Oct-09 GMT

Any designer can participate after signing the nda. Cheers!

Update 11-Oct-09 GMT

There is a placeholder website which the foundation has had up for a while. There is ***nothing*** about the colors or typeface on that site that should be adopted for your proposed solution.

Update 12-Oct-09 GMT

A number of new reference images were added.

Update 12-Oct-09 GMT

ADDITIONAL INFO ON REQUIREMENTS
The foundation’s identity should convey reliability, accessibility, strength, optimism, integrity and benevolence.

WORD ASSOCIATION LIST
In addition to the information provided at the project launch, the following word association lists may prove helpful in developing your concepts. These are not exhaustive, and you are encouraged to build upon these as part of your own process:

• Founder History: immigrant, Italian, working class, house painter, paintbrush, San Francisco, tenacious, hard-working

• Foundation: strengthen communities, enrich culture (arts–music, visual arts, theatre), support education (books, pencils, apple, light-bulb, ideas), reliable, accessible, strong, optimistic, integrity, benevolence, partnership, Bay Area, innovation, action, leadership, Pacifica, mountains, fog, ocean, light-bulb, helping hand, interconnectedness, social responsibility.

CONCEPT IDEAS
We welcome any design concepts you can think of on your own, the following concepts should also be explored.

• Coat of Arms. Possibly including symbolism than encompasses what the Foundation stands for/works towards or of aspects of the Castle. You can use the acronym SMF if you would like, but it's not required.

• Integration of the Castle with what the work of the Foundation. Not sure how this would be executed, but maybe of linked hands combined with the castle in an interesting and non-cheesy way?

• Using the graphic representation of the castle's eagle statue as the centerpiece of solution. The eagle connects to the castle, and also to the higher aspirations of the Foundation's work.

• A solution including a house painter's brush or other artifact as a homage to the founder. This would still need to be elegant in terms of type-- no wide, sloppy sign painter fonts. :)

• Using the acronym "SMF" as the primary visual, with the castle or other related imagery integrated into the negative space. The full foundation name would have to appear with this solution also.

• A simple rendering of the castle nestled in the trees of the mountain

• A simple, primarily typographical solution with a well executed line drawing of the castle.

MISC INFO:
• The acronym SMF can also be used as part of a potential solution.