Opinion BY Armin

A Fire Burns for Non-profits

Established in 1980, the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) has been helping non-profit organizations with direct loans as well as consulting services on financial growth and stability. I first became aware of the NFF when one of our clients worked with them to establish a growth prospectus and while designing some materials for our client I couldn’t help but notice what a poor identity for such an important organization the NFF had. This past August, NFF released a new identity, designed by C&G Partners.

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Opinion BY Armin

Memorial. Period.

Originally, in 2006, it was called the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, then in 2007 it evolved into the lengthier National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center. Now, eight years after the events of 2001, the name has changed to the simpler and more colloquial 9/11 Memorial. And the museum will be known as the 9/11 Memorial Museum, while National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center remains as the legal name of the non-profit organization. Coinciding with the opening of the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site — a space devoted to showcasing the plans and progress of the memorial and museum, as well as serving to collect stories and artifacts for future preservation — comes the release of a new identity in the long road of this venture in preparation for its opening in 2011. The identity has been designed by Landor in New York.

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Opinion BY Armin

A Logo that’s Bad for the Environment

Since 1967, when a small group of scientists came together to fight the use of the harmful DDT pesticide, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has been researching, advocating and enabling solutions to, well, make the world a better place to live. From animal conservation guidance to gas emissions restrictions, the EDF has played a significant role. Unfortunately, the one thing they weren’t able to save was their previous logo.

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Opinion BY Christian Palino

Where’s the DM in the I?

The Design Management Institute (DMI) was founded in 1975 and is described as an “international nonprofit organization that seeks to heighten awareness of design as an essential part of business strategy.” To put a more concise point on a definition of design management for this organization, they have their finger on “the business side of design.”

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BY Armin

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

Established in 1979 as Second Harvest, the hunger-relief organization began with a humble thirteen food banks and 2.5 million pounds of food distributed. Since then, it has grown to a network of 200 food banks across the U.S. distributing 2 billion pounds of food. Around 1999, Siegel + Gale, working pro-bono for the organization, helped articulate its mission, added the word “America’s” to emphasize its commitment to the whole country, introduced the tagline “Ending Hunger” and they created the tablecloth logo. This month, America’s Second Harvest changed its name to Feeding America.

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