Wings Foundation
A brand identity for an organization creating transformational spaces for survivors to heal.
Project Type
Branding, Web Design
Studio
Radish Lab
Role
Design Director
Wings Foundation
A brand identity for an organization creating transformational spaces for survivors to heal.
Project Type
Branding, Web Design
Studio
Radish Lab
Role
Design Director
Wings Foundation
A brand identity for an organization creating transformational spaces for survivors to heal.
Project Type
Branding, Web Design
Studio
Radish Lab
Role
Design Director
Introduction
Wings is a community of healing dedicated to providing group support for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Based in Denver, Colorado, their programs and networks have been expanding and they needed their brand and website to speak to this growing audience. They also wanted to frame the conversation around CSA as a public health crisis on par with movements like MeToo and Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. Their name—originally an acronym for Women Incested Needing Group Support—did not fully represent survivors of CSA who come from many backgrounds and identities.
Introduction
Wings is a community of healing dedicated to providing group support for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Based in Denver, Colorado, their programs and networks have been expanding and they needed their brand and website to speak to this growing audience. They also wanted to frame the conversation around CSA as a public health crisis on par with movements like MeToo and Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. Their name—originally an acronym for Women Incested Needing Group Support—did not fully represent survivors of CSA who come from many backgrounds and identities.
Introduction
Wings is a community of healing dedicated to providing group support for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Based in Denver, Colorado, their programs and networks have been expanding and they needed their brand and website to speak to this growing audience. They also wanted to frame the conversation around CSA as a public health crisis on par with movements like MeToo and Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. Their name—originally an acronym for Women Incested Needing Group Support—did not fully represent survivors of CSA who come from many backgrounds and identities.
Approach
Interviews and discussions with a diverse group of stakeholders— therapists, board members, facilitators, staff, loved ones, and most importantly, survivors—helped us identify three key areas of focus for the rebrand.
Clarity
Words have power. It was difficult with the current brand and website to understand what Wings does and who Wings serves. Additionally, certain phrases, such as using CSA instead of the full phrase “Childhood Sexual Abuse” reinforced feelings of shame around the subject and people’s experiences.
Positioning
Aligning folks’ experience of Wings with the presentation of their brand. Wings needed to build alignment across their business strategy and their organizational culture. While their current business strategy was more local and services-focused, they wanted to expand to a brand that could become more nationally-oriented and systems-focused.
Community
Conveying security and belonging throughout the brand experience was central. Wings’ current branding was not reaching the full spectrum of survivors across gender, racial and ethnic identity, and age. They needed an identity that could speak to and resonate with all survivors.
The creative solution
Healing happens here
Approach
Interviews and discussions with a diverse group of stakeholders— therapists, board members, facilitators, staff, loved ones, and most importantly, survivors—helped us identify three key areas of focus for the rebrand.
Clarity
Words have power. It was difficult with the current brand and website to understand what Wings does and who Wings serves. Additionally, certain phrases, such as using CSA instead of the full phrase “Childhood Sexual Abuse” reinforced feelings of shame around the subject and people’s experiences.
Positioning
Aligning folks’ experience of Wings with the presentation of their brand. Wings needed to build alignment across their business strategy and their organizational culture. While their current business strategy was more local and services-focused, they wanted to expand to a brand that could become more nationally-oriented and systems-focused.
Community
Conveying security and belonging throughout the brand experience was central. Wings’ current branding was not reaching the full spectrum of survivors across gender, racial and ethnic identity, and age. They needed an identity that could speak to and resonate with all survivors.
The creative solution
Healing happens here
Approach
Interviews and discussions with a diverse group of stakeholders— therapists, board members, facilitators, staff, loved ones, and most importantly, survivors—helped us identify three key areas of focus for the rebrand.
Clarity
Words have power. It was difficult with the current brand and website to understand what Wings does and who Wings serves. Additionally, certain phrases, such as using CSA instead of the full phrase “Childhood Sexual Abuse” reinforced feelings of shame around the subject and people’s experiences.
Positioning
Aligning folks’ experience of Wings with the presentation of their brand. Wings needed to build alignment across their business strategy and their organizational culture. While their current business strategy was more local and services-focused, they wanted to expand to a brand that could become more nationally-oriented and systems-focused.
Community
Conveying security and belonging throughout the brand experience was central. Wings’ current branding was not reaching the full spectrum of survivors across gender, racial and ethnic identity, and age. They needed an identity that could speak to and resonate with all survivors.
The creative solution
Healing happens here
Leading with warmth and transformation
Initial research began with collaborative moodboarding. We narrowed these to a single board that served as a springboard for our logo and identity work.
Over two weeks of collaborative working sessions, we created three initial identity directions all responding to healing journeys. We incorporated additional refinements from several focus sessions into an identity that spoke to all of the brand attributes, positioned Wings as an organization with national reach, and set us up for success to roll out identity across collateral and web.
Leading with warmth and transformation
Initial research began with collaborative moodboarding. We narrowed these to a single board that served as a springboard for our logo and identity work.
Over two weeks of collaborative working sessions, we created three initial identity directions all responding to healing journeys. We incorporated additional refinements from several focus sessions into an identity that spoke to all of the brand attributes, positioned Wings as an organization with national reach, and set us up for success to roll out identity across collateral and web.
Leading with warmth and transformation
Initial research began with collaborative moodboarding. We narrowed these to a single board that served as a springboard for our logo and identity work.
Over two weeks of collaborative working sessions, we created three initial identity directions all responding to healing journeys. We incorporated additional refinements from several focus sessions into an identity that spoke to all of the brand attributes, positioned Wings as an organization with national reach, and set us up for success to roll out identity across collateral and web.
Imbuing a mark with meaning
The logo consists of a custom wordmark based on the font Iskra. We paired it with a brand mark that speaks to several key concepts: it subtly references the “W” of Wings, comprises three pieces to represent the individual and collective experiences of survivors, has an uplifted shape similar to a bird’s wing, and sports a curved footprint with an italic slant to convey the supportive and transformative aspects of Wings.
Imbuing a mark with meaning
The logo consists of a custom wordmark based on the font Iskra. We paired it with a brand mark that speaks to several key concepts: it subtly references the “W” of Wings, comprises three pieces to represent the individual and collective experiences of survivors, has an uplifted shape similar to a bird’s wing, and sports a curved footprint with an italic slant to convey the supportive and transformative aspects of Wings.
Imbuing a mark with meaning
The logo consists of a custom wordmark based on the font Iskra. We paired it with a brand mark that speaks to several key concepts: it subtly references the “W” of Wings, comprises three pieces to represent the individual and collective experiences of survivors, has an uplifted shape similar to a bird’s wing, and sports a curved footprint with an italic slant to convey the supportive and transformative aspects of Wings.
Making space for nonlinear journeys
Our final brand direction spoke to the original strategy:
Courageous
We convey courage through a palette of rich yet natural tones. We allow color to boldly occupy space, using color blocking and tonal applications.
Inclusive
Our hand-drawn illustrations each have their own form and personality–none are perfect and each is unique to speak to the many identities of survivors.
Compassionate
We use photography to show warmth and tangible human connection. In more abstract photos, we focus on the perspective of ‘looking upwards and outwards’.
Grounded
Our typography is clean and legible to bring a grounded tone balancing with our more expressive and organic brand elements.
Transformative
Our illustrations speak to birds’ flight paths but also the unique and often non-linear journeys survivors take to healing.
Making space for nonlinear journeys
Our final brand direction spoke to the original strategy:
Courageous
We convey courage through a palette of rich yet natural tones. We allow color to boldly occupy space, using color blocking and tonal applications.
Inclusive
Our hand-drawn illustrations each have their own form and personality–none are perfect and each is unique to speak to the many identities of survivors.
Compassionate
We use photography to show warmth and tangible human connection. In more abstract photos, we focus on the perspective of ‘looking upwards and outwards’.
Grounded
Our typography is clean and legible to bring a grounded tone balancing with our more expressive and organic brand elements.
Transformative
Our illustrations speak to birds’ flight paths but also the unique and often non-linear journeys survivors take to healing.
Making space for nonlinear journeys
Our final brand direction spoke to the original strategy:
Courageous
We convey courage through a palette of rich yet natural tones. We allow color to boldly occupy space, using color blocking and tonal applications.
Inclusive
Our hand-drawn illustrations each have their own form and personality–none are perfect and each is unique to speak to the many identities of survivors.
Compassionate
We use photography to show warmth and tangible human connection. In more abstract photos, we focus on the perspective of ‘looking upwards and outwards’.
Grounded
Our typography is clean and legible to bring a grounded tone balancing with our more expressive and organic brand elements.
Transformative
Our illustrations speak to birds’ flight paths but also the unique and often non-linear journeys survivors take to healing.
Accessible and inclusive documentation
We summarized all of our work into a brand playbook, collating our discovery, strategy, and visual work into a single document the organization can use to inform brand decisions. This included guidance on accessible color combinations, typographic lockups, and best practices for photography to make the brand accessible to all the folks who may use it.
Accessible and inclusive documentation
We summarized all of our work into a brand playbook, collating our discovery, strategy, and visual work into a single document the organization can use to inform brand decisions. This included guidance on accessible color combinations, typographic lockups, and best practices for photography to make the brand accessible to all the folks who may use it.
Accessible and inclusive documentation
We summarized all of our work into a brand playbook, collating our discovery, strategy, and visual work into a single document the organization can use to inform brand decisions. This included guidance on accessible color combinations, typographic lockups, and best practices for photography to make the brand accessible to all the folks who may use it.
Trauma-informed UX and UI
During the website design and build, we identified and implemented website features that would support a more trauma-informed experience. This included sensitive solutions like a quick exit button, content trigger warnings, reduced motion, clear audience pathways, and a light and airy design approach, as well as best practices such as clear user flows and color and type accessibility.
Trauma-informed UX and UI
During the website design and build, we identified and implemented website features that would support a more trauma-informed experience. This included sensitive solutions like a quick exit button, content trigger warnings, reduced motion, clear audience pathways, and a light and airy design approach, as well as best practices such as clear user flows and color and type accessibility.
Trauma-informed UX and UI
During the website design and build, we identified and implemented website features that would support a more trauma-informed experience. This included sensitive solutions like a quick exit button, content trigger warnings, reduced motion, clear audience pathways, and a light and airy design approach, as well as best practices such as clear user flows and color and type accessibility.
“We are so proud of and grateful for our collaboration with Radish Lab on Wings’ brand refresh and website overhaul project. From day one, the Radishes approached this project with extreme care, compassion, creativity, and reverence for the needs of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. This project exceeded our expectations and sets Wings on a powerful trajectory going forward.”
— Jenny Stith, Executive Director, Wings Foundation
“We are so proud of and grateful for our collaboration with Radish Lab on Wings’ brand refresh and website overhaul project. From day one, the Radishes approached this project with extreme care, compassion, creativity, and reverence for the needs of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. This project exceeded our expectations and sets Wings on a powerful trajectory going forward.”
— Jenny Stith, Executive Director, Wings Foundation
“We are so proud of and grateful for our collaboration with Radish Lab on Wings’ brand refresh and website overhaul project. From day one, the Radishes approached this project with extreme care, compassion, creativity, and reverence for the needs of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. This project exceeded our expectations and sets Wings on a powerful trajectory going forward.”
— Jenny Stith, Executive Director, Wings Foundation
Outcomes
12% increase
Individuals served through direct services one year post launch
71% increase
Intakes, referrals, assessments, support, and Healing Guides provided one year post-launch
38% increase
Website visitors one year post launch
Credits
Project Team
Dylan Demanski, Senior Strategist
Aaron Hymoff, UX Architect
JoyAnne Ibay, Project Manager
Bonnie Tran, Designer
Partners
Julia Gatten, Jenny Stith.
Typefaces
Ballinger, Signal Type
Portada, Type Together
Outcomes
12% increase
Individuals served through direct services one year post launch
71% increase
Intakes, referrals, assessments, support, and Healing Guides provided one year post-launch
38% increase
Website visitors one year post launch
Credits
Project Team
Dylan Demanski, Senior Strategist
Aaron Hymoff, UX Architect
JoyAnne Ibay, Project Manager
Bonnie Tran, Designer
Partners
Julia Gatten, Jenny Stith.
Typefaces
Ballinger, Signal Type
Portada, Type Together
Outcomes
12% increase
Individuals served through direct services one year post launch
71% increase
Intakes, referrals, assessments, support, and Healing Guides provided one year post-launch
38% increase
Website visitors one year post launch
Credits
Project Team
Dylan Demanski, Senior Strategist
Aaron Hymoff, UX Architect
JoyAnne Ibay, Project Manager
Bonnie Tran, Designer
Partners
Julia Gatten, Jenny Stith.
Typefaces
Ballinger, Signal Type
Portada, Type Together