Free Library of Northampton Township
Free Library of Northampton Township
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
In 2025, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance issued an RFP to complete a rebrand of the organization. We lost.
We (genuinely and authentically) wished them luck and (genuinely and authentically) said we were looking forward to seeing their new brand. And then we went on with our lives.
Luckily for all of us, those lives took an interesting turn when the Cultural Alliance reconnected with us several months later. While the strategic work had progressed nicely, there was a struggle to nail the visual logo from a design perspective, and they asked our help to get them over the finish line and hit their goal of introducing a new identity at their Annual Meeting. The ensuing weeks were a model of collaboration. The Cultural Alliance provided clear communication and decisive and inspiring direction. We listened intently, rolled up our sleeves, and got to work creating a bold, grounded, and timeless identity that would carry the organization into the future.
Industry
Components
In our previous experience with the Cultural Alliance, it was rarely the WHY of the organization that required explanation, but it WAS often the WHAT.
This identity provided a unique opportunity to illustrate the Cultural Alliance’s programs and activities with a series of icons within the newly developed graphic language.
The focus remains consistent – as is the story – and an abstract icon or shape helps narrate the story of the many activities and program areas that make up the Alliance.
Each program area was assigned a key color, creating a comprehensive spectrum representative of the organization.
PROUD MOMENT
There were so many proud moments squished into what was a pretty ambitious timeline, so we’ll just list ’em out:
• We were proud of the Cultural Alliance for making the probably tough call to pivot midstream in the pursuit of success. Not the easy choice, but we hope they agree it was the right one.
• We were proud that we were able to so quickly align with the Cultural Alliance team and understand and articulate what they were looking for, their vibe, their mission, and, in their words, “their posture.” This is, of course, mostly due to THEIR understanding of their goals and their unmatched ability to express them.
• We’re just plain proud of the work. Sometimes we attribute a successful outcome to years of expertise. Sometimes, to good, old-fashioned sweat. And sometimes, there’s an element of serendipity. Here, it was a rare combination of all three.
• We were (super) proud to be in the room when the identity was revealed – to hear the excitement and inspiration in the CEO’s voice as she introduced the new identity, the applause at its unveiling, and the murmurs of approval throughout the night.
So, yeah, it was a good one. And we probably won’t stop talking about it for a while.
