crowdSPRING

Creative brief

ABOUT US:
Our client is a new insurance brokerage that will donate a significant portion of every policy to the charity of the client's choosing.
Insurance is usually not about giving – it’s about covering your butt. Our client enables people to serve the needs of others while serving their own. The idea for the organization came from the company owner’s own experience donating to a school in a developing country. His experience ignited a passion for giving that he wants to share with the world. It isn’t about giving to his cause, it’s about ensuring that others can give to theirs. He believes that once people begin to donate and see the impact of their giving they’ll be more likely to get involved in bettering the world and the lives of others.
The name of the company is Causeworth Insurance (though in the logo you may use just "Causeworth" if you wish.)
The name begs the question "What is your cause worth" - something the leadership wants clients and employees to consider daily.
Their tagline is "Every Policy Shares Your Passion"
Unlike most insurance companies the identity doesn’t have to overtly communicate the “Trust Us” or “Stability” message. Instead there should be a sense of empowerment or even wonder. The whole identity is built around getting people to make a difference in their own and other’s lives.

HERE IS WHAT WE NEED:
A logo and Identity Kit (Letterhead, envelope, business card) for the new organization. They'll be using this to help establish the visual and tactile brand.
Logos should work on light and dark backgrounds.
Here's what we're looking for:
• Logo/Name/Tagline (all in color & bw)
• Logo/Name
• Logo
• Favicon
• Font Names for all fonts used
• Envelope
• Letterhead
• Business Card
We'd also like recommendations for paper stock/color.

OUR TARGET AUDIENCE IS:
1) The middle 70% of US consumers. We are not selling to the ultra rich or those who cannot afford insurance. The visuals must be accessible (as opposed to obscure.) We are targeting those interested in empowering others to do good, so this means that we’re looking for people already at least familiar with the concept of giving (making religion, volunteerism, donations, and the like a common element amongst the target audience.)
2) Insurance providers. Our brand must be attractive to those who will be using us as a sales channel. Insurance companies aren’t likely to appreciate “out-there” identities either.
3) Non-profits. We want to be attractive to the non-profits that are interested in receiving funds through our programs. We need an identity that non-profits will be proud to send along to their members.
4) Corporations interested in charitable giving: We provide an excellent way for corporations to maximize the value of their giving. Similar to the non-profit market, corporations must feel comfortable communicating our message and brand to their employees when covering possible charitable giving policies.

Today’s prospective customers are likely highly cautious given the recent happenings in the financial world. They’re used to being bombarded by messages of solidity and trust – and they’re tired of it – to the point that they just ignore traditional messaging. The customer mindset is cautious and perhaps even skeptical – which is why our messaging is centered on their beliefs rather than ours.

WE LIKE THESE DESIGNS:
Simple. Memorable. Something that helps to tell the story. We want a design that does more than just sums up the brand - it should add something.
This sums it up pretty well: http://bit.ly/CXZB

SELECTION CRITERIA:
1) The logo can be text only or graphic and text combined. Either is fine as long as the design supports the brand.
2) Simplicity is strongly preferred. Ideally the logo could be seen a couple times and copied (roughly) from memory
3) The logo should be distinct from the standard insurance logos. Please research common themes (e.g., bold fonts, wood-block style graphics) to know what to avoid.
4) The logo (if an image) should not just refer to insurance. The organization may offer other services in the near future and does not wish to do through this process again just to add them.
5) No overly modern effects. Please do not buttonize, mirror, or otherwise tart up the logo. We want to see it in its raw state.
6) One to three colors are preferred, but if you have a reason to offer more and can tell us why its important we’ll pay attention.
7) While a timeless logo isn’t needed it is preferred that you consider older-feeling logos as opposed to those that might fit in better with post Y2K designs.
8) Font Selection – No Comic Sans. Other than that, anything goes as long as you can tell us how the font selection helps to tell the story.
9) ***Strong preference will be given to designs where the designer has taken the time to tell the story behind the creation rather than just assuming that we’ll know it.

Update 23-Dec-08, 4:39pm GMT

Guidance to share with the group:
If you're going to bold a portion of the word, make it "cause." The emphasis is on the first syllable, not the second.
Simple sans serif fonts seem to be doing better than ornate ones, though something fanciful in the way that "Big Fish" (the movie) titles are might work, too.
Watch your kerning. Crowded lettering is fine, but make sure there are no awkward starts and ends of letters that don't line up...

Want to know more about our philosophies? It might give you a leg up on how we see things... http://www.stokefire...un-same/thinking.php

Some great ideas already.

Update 26-Dec-08, 4:59pm GMT

Hello to all of you great designers. We've seen some very strong concepts and the first round has been delivered to the client. Stokefire's offices are officially closed from now through the end of the project, but we'll be checking in one or two times per day to keep the project moving forward. I apologize in advance for any delays. Looking forward to continued GREAT work.

Update 29-Dec-08, 8:06pm GMT

Wow. Just... Wow. Lots and lots of submissions. More than we can give feedback on in the short term. I will try to provide ratings for all - and feedback on those that are close to what we're looking for.