Grow Homes

A green outdoor signboard for Grow Homes, partially obscured by green ivy vines, with a photo of two smiling children hugging each other and the words 'We're helping futures flourish. You can too.' and options to donate, volunteer, and mentor.

A holistic rebrand of the nonprofit formerly known as Grow Home, based in Baltimore, MD. Clearly defining mission, vision, values, and audience before exploring how Grow Homes shows up in the world.

Software

Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe InDesign

Scope

Branding
Design Systems

Want to jump around?

Hop to:

Background & Research

Branding (Process & Outcome)

Implementation

Logo

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Design Systems

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Out of Home

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Brochures

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Digital Presence

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Logo ⊛ Design Systems ⊛ Out of Home ⊛ Brochures ⊛ Digital Presence ⊛

The Background

What is the goal of this rebrand?

How does this rebrand meaningfully help Grow Homes reach these goals?

Project Objectives

Rebrand a nonprofit and demonstrate how implementation of the brand shows up in the world.

Create thorough brand guidelines to demonstrate how the design system comes to life.

Framing the Brand

Top

Who are Grow Homes?

Nonprofit based in Baltimore, MD (est. 2012)

Work with youth and young adults to provide workforce development and recreational opportunities

Revitalize empty and ignored green spaces

Vision, Mission, & Values

Values

Hand-drawn icon of three figures representing community.

Community

We focus on fostering a strong connection between residents to build a sense of trust. We want to ensure that everyone feels safe occupying shared spaces and reaching out to other residents.

Hand-drawn icon of a heart representing health.

Health of Every Kind

We prioritize improvement of mental and physical health for all residents of Baltimore.

Hand-drawn icon of a handshake representing connections.

Partnership

Our impact is made possible from collaboration with citizen groups, local employers, and passionate individuals. We also foster an environment where young people can learn how to work well with others.

Hand-drawn icon of a sprout representing growth.

Growth

Through all facets of our mission, growth is an underlying thread that ties our vision together. From children to adults, we hope to encourage growth in all aspects of life.

Mission

We strive to enable youths to find stable, rewarding careers by: providing workforce development opportunities through practical, hands-on training in prevalent industries.

We work to improve residents’ physical and mental health by: providing access to “clean and well-enjoyed” green spaces. Additionally, providing accessible athletics for youths and events for people that “promote relaxation, comfort and investment in [the green space’s] future.”

“About,” Grow Home Baltimore, 2023, growhomebaltimore.com/about.

Vision

Create a prosperous and green Baltimore community where all youths can effectively navigate a pathway to success and empowerment.

Audience

Mentees

Teens & young adults, ages 14–21

Baltimore residents

College doesn’t feel right for them, but they are still seeking long-term employment

Willing to learn but don’t know where to start

Curious, open-minded, and dedicated

Mentors

Adults, ages 21+

Baltimore residents or within reasonable commute distance

Experts in their trade and are willing and able to teach 2 hours/day, 4 days/week

Passionate and eager to lead and match well with our brand personality and values

Secondary Audience

Donors

Volunteers

Parents of Children 6–18

The Solution

How Grow Homes embodies its mission, vision, and values.

How Grow Homes shows up in the world to best reach its audience.

Branding Process

The Mind Map

Hand-drawn mind map illustrating elements related to growing homes and communities, with keywords like 'grow homes,' 'homes,' 'support,' 'love,' 'community,' 'family,' and symbols such as a house, family, support, and a person icon, along with decorative flowers, hearts, and sun symbols.

I began with a mind map of both words in the brand name: Grow & Homes.

This allowed me to expand on the basic visuals of the two words and explore more visual avenues.

Notebook Sketches

“No-idea-is-bad” ideation and exploration. Doodling icons, testing cutouts, handwritten type, and so on to see what’s working and what’s not.

Hand-drawn sketches of flowers, hearts, and houses with notes about their characteristics, such as "clovers? not distinct" and "two seeds ?" various symbols and simple drawings are scattered across lined notebook paper.
Handwritten notes about growing homes, including various sketches of watering cans, a watering can with a heart, flowers, and different text styles such as 'Grow Homes' and 'Grow' with a heart or spiral design.
Handwritten notes on a spiral-bound notebook page with drawings of a watering can, some leaves, and various words and phrases about planting and growing. The main text emphasizes "GROW HOMES" and "GROW" with additional notes about planting futures and blooming communities.

Digital Sketches

Playing around with typefaces to see what might work for the logotype.

Collection of different stylized black and white text variations of the phrase "Grow Homes" and "Grow Homes" written in various fonts and styles.
Pattern of various stylized texts saying 'GROW HOMES' in different fonts and styles, with some small leaf icons.

Moodboards

Two different mood boards guided design decisions for the brand. The first is whimsical and down to the earth while the second is sleek and professional. The final brand ended up with a middle ground of the two.

A collage of images related to Grow Homes, a community organization. On the left, a hand holding a sunflower with a black and white background. On the right, a website screenshot showing smiling children, a brick wall, and text promoting community support and growth in Boston.
A collage of images promoting community involvement and youth empowerment through Grow Homes initiative in Baltimore, featuring children playing, planting, and participating in outdoor activities, with text emphasizing growth, partnership, and health.

Final Branding

A detailed infographic about branding, identity, and overview for Grow Homes, featuring sections on colors, logos, and design elements such as hand-drawn icons.

Implementation

Out of Home

Billboards & posters displayed across Baltimore. Targeting adult (parent, mentor, volunteer) audience (first) and teen (mentee) audience (second).

A green sign with white and yellow text that reads 'Grow Homes, We're Helping Futures Flourish.' The sign includes options to 'Donate,' 'Volunteer,' and 'Mentor.' It is partially covered by ivy and is positioned against a brick wall.
A construction worker wearing a helmet, goggles, gloves, and a safety vest working on a brick wall, with a green sign that reads 'Jumpstart Your Future Outside of the Classroom'.
Outdoor billboard with campaign posters promoting helping communities grow, future prosperity, and flourishing through community gardening, with images of people gardening and smiling.

Brochure

Brochure handed out at all Grow Homes events to detail what we do, what we've done, and how you can join us.

Brochure featuring images of community activities like children playing, people gardening, and individuals giving high fives, with text about revitalization and community development in Baltimore.

Socials

Examples of Instagram stories and posts for events and education.

Instagram Story. A man holding a trash bag and trash picker in Wyman Park during a community cleanup event on June 28 from 12 pm to 3 pm.
Instagram Story. Photo of an urban building with balconies covered in plants, with a streetlight hanging above, and the sky in the background. Overlaid text reads: 'How we're helping Baltimore shine this weekend & how you can too.'
Instagram Post. Green poster with white text reading "Be more, pass it on. 1,000+ 6-17 year olds receiving free or low-cost, high-quality athletics." with a heart-shaped line art design on the right side.
Promotional graphic from grow.homes Instagram with a photo of two children smiling and hugging, against a red brick wall. The text reads: '10 Ways to Support Your Community... and Have the Support Reflect Back.'
Collection of banner ads. A young girl with braided hair and glasses, smiling and holding a bowl of red snow cones, standing in front of a green background with text about helping futures flourish in Baltimore.
Instagram story. People planting trees in Powhatan Park during a community event with a green promotional background and a 'Help Us Plant Trees' message.

Banner Ads

Web banner ads, targeted toward our adult audience (set 1) and teen audience (set 2).

Collection of banner ads. Group of diverse young adults smiling and talking on a city street, holding books, with a modern building in the background, part of an advertisement promoting planning and future goals.

Website

A mockup of the website home page, showing where key information, CTAs, news, and events are displayed.

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