Action Utah Rebrand
Action Utah was a nonpartisan advocacy organization that empowered Utah residents to engage in civic advocacy. The organization issued daily action items on weekdays to encourage community participation in local and state issues. While their work spanned four distinct issue areas, these were not clearly communicated in their materials, making it difficult for audiences to fully engage.
Where We Started
The organization faced several challenges:
- Their existing brand identity and digital presence didn’t reflect their mission of bipartisan civic empowerment.
- Audiences lacked clarity on how to navigate or engage with the organization’s issue areas.
- They needed a central hub to house the wealth of resources they had developed for fostering civic engagement.
The Goal
The goal of the rebrand was to position Action Utah as a trusted and approachable resource for civic engagement in Utah.
Key objectives included:
- Clarifying the organization’s mission to empower residents across the political spectrum.
- Creating a cohesive and visually engaging identity to unify their messaging across all platforms.
- Developing tools and resources to make it easier for audiences to navigate issue areas and take meaningful actions.
- Strengthening the connection between their daily actions, advocacy efforts, and long-term impact.
How We Got There
Logo Design
I designed a new logo to reflect Action Utah’s mission of bipartisan civic engagement. The central beehive symbol was formed by combining:
- An arrow on the left: Representing the political left, rendered in the brand’s signature turquoise color.
- An arrow on the right: Representing the political right, rendered in the brand’s signature coral color.
These two arrows meet in the center, symbolizing unity, where the organization’s name appears in the third signature color. While some might see this color as blue, the we on the Action Utah team affectionately referred to it as purple—a recurring joke within the organization that highlighted the focus on bringing different perspectives together.
Visual Lexicon for Issue Areas
To make Action Utah’s daily actions on Instagram and Facebook instantly recognizable and easy to navigate, I developed a visual lexicon for their four core issue areas. Each issue was represented by a unique combination of color and iconography:
Good Government: Turquoise + a capitol dome icon, symbolizing transparency and accountability.
Families and Communities: Coral + a people icon, reflecting unity and shared values.
Environmental Stewardship: Green + a leaf icon, emphasizing sustainability and care for natural resources.
Public Health: Yellow + a heart with a cross icon, signifying wellness and compassion.
Additionally I created a style for organizational alerts that used our blue/purple color and the logo in place of an icon. In total, this visual system provided followers with immediate context for each action, reinforcing their connection to the broader advocacy goals.
Website Redesign
The new website became a central repository for civic advocacy resources. Key features included:
- Daily Action Items: Categorized by issue area, encouraging users to take meaningful steps toward engagement.
- Resource Library: A robust collection of guides, tools, and educational materials to help Utahns become more civically active.
- Dynamic Calls-to-Action: Interactive elements designed to guide users toward impactful participation.
- Streamlined Navigation: Clear pathways to connect users with the information they needed quickly and intuitively.
While the website no longer exists and screenshots are unavailable, its role as a resource hub was pivotal in advancing Action Utah’s mission.
Digital Newsletter Header
Action Utah’s weekly email was a critical tool for consolidating their daily actions and encouraging deeper engagement with a highlighted weekly action. To align with the new brand standards and improve reader engagement, I redesigned the email header to be both eye-catching and on-brand. The updated design:
- Integrated the visual lexicon: Reinforced the connection between the email and the daily social media actions by incorporating the colors and icons tied to the issue areas.
- Used bold typography: Ensured the header grabbed readers’ attention at a glance, making it clear what to expect in the newsletter.
- Maintained brand consistency: Featured the organization’s updated logo and signature colors, creating a cohesive experience across digital platforms.
Branded Templates for Internal and External Use
To ensure consistency in all outgoing communications, I developed a suite of branded templates for Action Utah’s staff. These templates were designed for use in Google Workspace, making them accessible and easy to use across the team. They empowered the team to maintain brand consistency while saving time, allowing them to focus more on their mission of civic advocacy.
Presentation Decks: Professional, visually cohesive slides with pre-set layouts and branded color schemes for internal and external presentations.
General Communications: Standardized letterhead and document templates for email communications, reports, and other staff needs.
Streaming and YouTube Content
As part of the rebrand, I not only developed graphics and visual elements but also directly managed the livestreaming process. Using OBS (Open Broadcaster Software), I set up and operated the livestreams, including camera placement and ensuring smooth transitions during events. These livestreams were broadcast to Facebook, utilizing the branded overlays and visuals I created to ensure a polished and cohesive look.
In addition to livestreaming, I prepared branded elements for YouTube videos. I also used Premiere Pro to design branded overlays that integrated Action Utah’s visual identity into pre-recorded videos, further enhancing the professionalism and consistency of their content.
Legislative Advocacy and Influence
Action Utah played an active role in mobilizing Utah residents to engage with their state legislature. The rebrand enhanced their ability to clearly communicate daily actions and issue areas, leading to greater audience participation in legislative advocacy. While it’s challenging to quantify the direct legislative outcomes, the streamlined branding and engagement strategies positioned Action Utah as a key player in fostering civic involvement, which may have contributed to the passage of important policies.
The Outcome
- Increased clarity and accessibility for audiences to engage with Action Utah’s issue areas and daily actions.
- Higher participation rates in civic advocacy efforts, driven by the wealth of resources available on the new website.
- Enhanced consistency and professionalism across all digital and offline communications.
- Expanded Reach Through Streaming and Video: Improved visual consistency and branding in livestreams and YouTube videos helped grow audience engagement, making it easier for followers to connect with and share Action Utah’s work.