Forbes Library: Strategic Brand Identity
Services
Brand Strategy
Translating insights from a recent strategic plan, we were able to articulate the library's unique positioning, values, and personality. This enabled a critical analysis of the existing identity and a framework for a redesign that earned buy-in from a broad coalition of stakeholders.
Identity Design
Developing a distinct and practical identity system with style guidelines and collateral templates.
Forbes Library is a multi-faceted community hub supported by many stakeholder groups. A dramatic redesign was able to earn buy-in through a strategic approach that honored the existing identity centered on its architecture.
Forbes Library, in Northampton, Massachusetts, is also home to a presidential library, an art gallery, and an extensive local historical collection—all of which is supported by a closely-linked Friends of Forbes fundraising group.
The identity system needed to win the support of a conservative Board of Trustees, excite a creative staff and diverse constituency, align with a recently completed strategic plan, and facilitate sub-identities for each of the primary entities associated with the library.
This process involved analysis of the strategic plan and accompanying community survey, many stakeholder presentations, and additional accessibility testing. The result is a vibrant, flexible identity rooted in the library’s beloved architecture that aligns with its strategic goals of being ever more inclusive and welcoming.