COMMUNITY YOUTH CONCEPTS
PROJECT INTRODUCTION
Community Youth Concepts is a nonprofit organization based in Des Moines, Iowa, dedicated to empowering local youth through development programs and providing coaching, training, and technical assistance to youth-serving nonprofits. With a mission to ensure that all Iowa youth have access to high-quality opportunities that prepare them for success in school, work, and life, the organization promotes growth, innovation, and teamwork within the community.
A recent brand audit revealed several key insights. The organization has a consistent brand identity across most platforms and excels in storytelling, effectively conveying its mission and values. However, some weaknesses were identified, such as an ineffective color palette and typography, which do not reflect the vibrant, youth-centered essence of the brand. Additionally, certain sections of the website are difficult to read, and the organization lacks a strong visual identity, including a memorable logo and icon.
Opportunities for improvement include enhancing the visual branding to better appeal to the target audience and reworking the logo for greater impact and recognition. To address these findings, it is recommended that Community Youth Concepts revamp its color palette and typography to create a more energetic and engaging brand presence. Additionally, redesigning the logo to be more modern and versatile will improve the organization’s overall visual identity and strengthen its impact. These updates are expected to elevate brand recognition, boost engagement, and create a more professional and appealing presence across digital and physical platforms.
PRIMARY LOGO
The logo mark features a human icon, set within a circular, symmetric shape to symbolize unity and safety. This reflects Community Youth Concepts’ commitment to providing a safe space where students from all backgrounds can come together to improve their futures. The logo is designed to represent this sense of togetherness. The logo mark is especially effective in situations where minimalism or space limitations are crucial, such as in app icons, social media profiles, or product labels. It must be distinctive and memorable, acting as a visual shorthand for the brand’s identity.
SECONDARY LOGO
The secondary typographic logo consists of the brand’s abbreviated title, incorporating the person icon as the “Y.” This version should be used when flexibility is required in cases where the main logo may not be practical or suitable. It’s ideal for limited spaces, such as social media avatars, product tags, or promotional items like merchandise and stationery. Additionally, the secondary logo is effective in more understated branding efforts, such as watermarks, internal documents, or small digital assets, providing a simplified yet recognizable version that maintains the brand’s identity without cluttering the design.
PRIMARY COLOR PALLET
The primary color palette now incorporates playful and inviting tones such as Cal Poly Green, Old Gold, and Seashell, aligning with Community Youth Concepts' mission while creating a more engaging and approachable brand feel. These vibrant colors evoke a sense of warmth and creativity, making the brand more appealing, especially to younger audiences. The primary color palette remains central to the brand’s identity, consistently applied across the logo, website, business cards, and other core materials to maintain recognition, professionalism and unity.
SECONDARY COLOR PALLET
The secondary color palette incorporates playful and inviting tones such as Harvest Gold, Icterine, and Sky Blue, and Russian Violet, aligning with Community Youth Concepts' mission while creating a more engaging and approachable brand feel. These vibrant colors evoke a sense of warmth and creativity, making the brand more appealing, especially to younger audiences. Each color is meant to represent a specific program that Community Youth Concepts provides. Secondary colors will be used when specifically talking about each program individually or as a whole. Secondary colors in the brand are typically used to complement and enhance the primary color palette, providing versatility and depth to the brand’s visual identity
TYPOGRAPHY
The primary typeface is applied to prominent text elements like headings, titles, and key messaging, where the brand’s tone and style need to be conveyed most strongly. It plays a critical role in both digital and print media, ensuring a seamless experience for the audience, regardless of the platform. The secondary Avenir typefaces complement the primary one by adding variety without losing cohesion. Avenir Medium is typically used for body text, subheadings, or captions to improve readability. The secondary typeface helps provide contrast and hierarchy, making content easier to navigate, especially in long-form text where the primary typeface might be too bold. Balancing the two fonts maintains visual interest and clarity. The Avenir medium Oblique font is used for emphasis or convey motion, works well in headlines or call-to-action elements but should be used sparingly to preserve readability.
APPLICATIONS AND MOCKUPS
uVoice White Paper (Annual Report)
Community Youth Concepts Program Pamphlet
Community Youth Concepts Business Card
The brand audit of Community Youth Concepts revealed several key insights. While the organization has strong messaging and storytelling, its visual identity lacks the vibrancy and cohesion needed to fully engage its target audience. The current color palette, typography, and logo are outdated and do not align with the youthful energy the brand aims to project. Additionally, the website and digital touchpoints require better readability and interactivity to draw in more engagement from teens.
Key recommendations include a complete refresh of the visual identity, focusing on a modernized logo, a more vibrant and inviting color palette, and updated typography. Enhancing the website’s usability and revamping the social media strategy with more dynamic content will help build stronger connections with the youth audience. By creating personas to guide these changes, Community Youth Concepts can tailor its messaging and design to better meet the needs of young individuals, especially those like Riya, Ayesha, and Emma.
The expected impact includes higher engagement, improved brand recognition, and a more inclusive, appealing platform for youth to connect with the organization, ultimately empowering more teens to get involved in its programs.
APPLICATIONS
Adobe Stock
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
This project is a conceptual design created for portfolio purposes and is not affiliated with any real organization or client.
