Project:
Create identity and branding for inaugural fundraising event
Client:
Founded in 2005 by Robert Redford and his son James Redford, the Redford Center supports and funds environmental impact media-makers who understand the power of a well-told, well-timed story to inspire positive change in the world: Stories That Move.
Project Expertise:
Creative Direction
Collateral Design
Branding
Event marketing & Design
“Stories That Move”
Drawing on the family’s multi-generational expertise in filmmaking and activism, the Redford Center produces, funds and fiscally sponsors impact-driven productions that showcase stories of individuals taking action to protect and restore the planet.
The brief
In the winter of 2018, the Redford Center held their first benefit event in San Francisco. I engaged with them in the fall to produce logo concepts and associated event collateral. The benefit reflected the Redford Center DNA with immersive storytelling through film, food, live music, and the awarding of the inaugural Robert Redford Award given to artist-activists whose efforts embody the Redford environmental legacy.
The image below was a mood board produced to site influences and creative prompts from which I would develop the logo.
Early logo explorations
Over the course of the project, the event went through a few naming changes. Once we produced several iterations of the original "film/art/music” concept, we realized that what we wanted to convey was not the event per se or any theme, but rather convey the mission of the organization, especially to prospective supporters who may not be familiar with the Redford Center. The client eventually decided to name the event after the tagline “Stories That Move.”
One logo, many applications
The final logo joined elements of the natural world – water, flora, and fauna – into a logo that felt active and alive even in one dimension. Merged with the text “Stories That Move,” the visual elements spoke to the breadth of environmental stories that The Redford Center strives to amplify.
The Stories That Move logo was produced for many applications, including but not limited to video, online promotional, event signage and collateral, and event and organization swag. The animated version was a last-minute need for a rolling presentation, created with rush turnaround from the static images.
Animation by Erfan Azadehnia (https://erfanazadehnia.myportfolio.com/)
The takeaways
The life cycle of an identity project is necessarily a long and winding road (regardless of how short or long the lead time may be). You may do all the discovery possible – market research, writing a comprehensive brief that asks all the right questions – and the client may come back to you at any part of the process with the feedback, “It’s just not quite right.” It can seem like a fight for your life as a designer, but pivots in the process are inevitable, and every time this has happened to me, ultimately it makes me a better designer. The key? Keep a rein on the process with milestones (tangible) and gain their trust (intangible).
