Background
Climate Lead was formed in reaction to the 2015 Paris Agreement, to catalyze philanthropic investment at scale that would truly move the needle on climate. The organization helps guide philanthropic leaders toward impact by curating knowledge and solutions from their global, diverse network of experts.
The challenge
After 3 years, their organization had a strong history of impact – surpassing their initial goal of $2.5 billion invested and even surpassing their stretch goal of $4.5 billion a year early. As a young organization with incredible impact, the time had come to invest in their brand so that it can help power their next chapter of growth.
The opportunity
Climate change can feel intimidating and complicated – curtailing investment. Climate Lead cuts through that complexity to deliver complete curation for donors. They enable courage in the face of crisis – and their brand is built to reflect this bold confidence.
A name fit to lead
The organization was founded as the Climate Leadership Initiative – yet their name wasn’t as clear, memorable or actionable as it could be. We explored different naming options that could paint them as the agent of change they truly are. Ultimately, it was a simple solution: Climate Lead, a shortening of their original name, that instills urgency and more accurately reflects what they and their donors do: take action and lead the field of climate philanthropy.
A logo with energy and urgency
The two words “Climate Lead” are separated with an arrow, suggesting the guidance and direction they give their donors and the momentum they build together. The three colored shapes come together to form the arrow, further adding a sense of collaboration, energy, and action.
A breath of fresh air
Climate Lead’s visual identity is a new step in consolidating the organization's credibility, conviction and courage to lead through a vibrant, confident color palette, bold typography and energetic visual elements.
A flexible design system for evolving needs
Climate Lead's flexible design system ensures their brand can easily adapt to their broad range of communication needs. Built with modular components, the system's versatility ensures their team can quickly create clear, consistent, and engaging brand assets across different touchpoints.
Illustrations with movement
To further convey the courage and leadership that set them apart, Climate Lead’s illustration style uses bold geometric shapes and directional arrows. This creates a vibrant set of illustrations that convey movement and dynamism.
Bringing their brand to life
As they embraced a new name, verbal and visual identity, Climate Lead needed to carefully roll out this new brand to their internal and external stakeholders. We developed a suite of tools to make this transition as easy as possible – including a comprehensive brand guide, all-staff trainings and roadshow presentation to introduce their new brand to key external stakeholders.
A high-impact digital presence
Climate Lead’s new website was built to reflect their courageous brand —telling a bold story of who they are to the world. The navigation allows users to easily find key information while ensuring powerful stories of impact shine through. The site embraces simplicity and sophistication to create a polished, professional and confident platform.
Project Credits
- Pauline Shin
- Deroy Peraza
- Sana Masud
- Julia Zeltser
- Kade Burns
- Domenica Ceballos
- Mae Wiskin