New Jersey Food Fund branding
Branding
Editorial
Digital
Client Name
New Jersey Food Fund
Credits
Project lead & brand strategy: Rachel Dearborn
Collaborators: Social Strategy Associates
Scope
Visual identity
Website
Impact Report
Collateral
Client Site
About
New Jersey Food Fund (previously known as the Food Security Access Fund) is an initiative started to improve food security systems in New Jersey. They are investing in other non-profits that are moving towards that goal: improve the entire system of food security within the state. They aren't simply funding food banks to purchase food, they are helping folks build systems backed by data that improve food transportation, decrease food waste, enrich local farms, and provide healthier alternatives to those who need food.
Rachel Dearborn is a fellow Portlander focusing on brand strategy for non-profits and purpose driven organizations. When she reached out to collaborate on this project, we knew it would be the perfect opportunity to work together. We worked with Rachel, Brad Preston from NJFF, and the great folks at Social Strategy Associates to design a brand identity & website that positioned NJFF as a innovative force in the food security space. Our goal was to communicate to all seeking funding that NJFF was interested in strengthening the whole food security ecosystem.
The New Jersey Food Fund's mission is to strengthen the food security ecosystem by connecting philanthropy, data, and communities to bring fresh food to every New Jerseyan. The logo mark reflects this through a simple shape: the tomato, one of New Jersey's most abundant crops. The radiating leaves suggest innovation and energy, while the repetition of the form captures the multiplying effect of collaborative funding.
Design approach
Our approach for the logo design & overall visual brand was to evoke a sense of innovation within the food security space while maintaining an established, professional presence. NJFF isn't a tech company, but they are approaching this issue in a tech forward manner with the use of data & analytics. The mark definitely feels like it *could* exist in a modern day tech space, which is definitely what we were aiming for, but we also wanted it to feel just fine alongside images of the local farmers and folks receiving food in dignifying environments.
This approach to food security is novel in the space, NJFF wanted to make sure that this felt like it could be a national movement, not something tied *too much* to the state itself, which was another driving factor in the overall aesthetic.
Refined sketch concepts
We were really tied to this idea of efficiency, movement, data, & repetition in the mark. Even if it was subtle, like in the top right (2nd) concept below, the logo needed to communicate building a better system through data & funding. After presenting a few of these concepts to the team, we settled on the repeating tomato shape as the final execution.
Color
The colors we chose to move forward with give NJFF a deep green to tie into natural New Jersey landscapes & food production.
Type
For the typography, we wanted the visuals to feel innovative without being flashy. Degular was a natural choice, as it has enough personality to feel considered, but remains restrained enough to support the system without calling attention to itself. We paired it with Tiempos Text as the primary body typeface to bring in a sense of trust and legacy.
Motifs & imagery
We developed a few text modifiers / motifs that can be used across collateral. One of our favorites was the tomato top bullet point / spotlight title. This draws from the shapes of the logo and helped create some consistency across all touch points.
Imagery was another important aspect to nail down for the Fund. We had access to a plethora of great images captured by the various organizations that NJFF funds. We also chose a few select stock photos for NJFF to use, though these are applied sparingly across the brand and must feel authentic to the mission. Our recommendations mostly focused on showing local farmers, volunteers and logistics, and folks enjoying fresh food.
To bring these photos into the visual identity a bit more and have them feel front & center, we developed a photo collage with the logo shape as the container. We developed a few different iterations to be used on the web home page, report covers, and other potential collateral.
Impact report
While building the visual brand for NJFF, they needed our help to build their 2024 impact report to send out to funders. This was a great stress test on the brand systems we developed, and they came to life just as we had intended. You can see the full report on their website.
Website
We built a simple website for NJFF that included 5 static pages and a CMS article / stories section. This website was built in Framer from scratch by Twin Variety in collaboration with Dearborn Strategies. Check out the full website here: njfoodfund.org
Digital & print collateral
As a part of the scope, NJFF needed a flexible deck design that could be used for conferences, internal meetings, etc. We built this in PowerPoint as an editable template, along with a business card & letterhead template made in MS Word.
Brand guidelines
Finally, we built NJFF a dynamic brand guide that lives on their website that is password protected. This allows NJFF to send their brand guide easily through an email with a basic password, and allows all partners to access the brand in real time without worrying about outdated PDFs.