Thriving Wisconsin

Written By Lydia Ravenwood

Establishing authority through strategic rebranding

 

Background & Challenge

As a nonprofit leader, it can be difficult to identify the right moment to invest in a rebrand. The urge to prioritize services over brand when deciding where to allocate resources is natural.

However, there comes a point where continuing to use a brand that’s not working for you can present a bigger risk than investing in a change, especially in a world where constant media exposure means that audiences and stakeholders have limited attention, and a discerning eye.

This was the situation for Supporting Families Together Association (SFTA), a statewide backbone network advancing early childhood education across Wisconsin.

Facing an increasingly competitive field, they found that their current brand was limiting external perception. Their name, logo, and visual identity didn’t reflect the scope or seriousness of their work.

To complicate matters, the SFTA logo shared too much visual language with their member agencies, making the distinction and relationship between the network and member agencies difficult to understand.

As the network administrator, the SFTA logo shared too much visual language with with its member agencies.

 

The Moment

As SFTA geared up for a statewide campaign, they knew the moment for a full rebrand had arrived. Before investing resources in their visibility statewide, they knew that their impact would be greater if their brand helped communicate their role and mission more accurately.

As the team prepared to reintroduce the organization as Thriving Wisconsin, they needed to address the gap between who they were and how their brand was perceived.

The former SFTA logo presented concerns of consistency and reproducibility.

 

The Work

Ravenwood Design Group stepped in to close that gap in perception, creating a brand that would help Thriving Wisconsin:

  • Stand out in their competitive landscape

  • Differentiate from their member agencies

  • Clearly communicate their mission, role, and authority 

Before & After

 

This rebrand was a strategic investment in being taken seriously at the highest levels– by legislators, funders, and statewide collaborators. Without a distinct, cohesive identity, even a vital advocate for Wisconsin’s children and child care providers risked being overlooked or misunderstood.

The new logo is designed for distinctiveness and functionality

 

Impact & Takeaways

  • Stronger advocacy: With a visual system that communicates authority, Thriving Wisconsin is better positioned to champion early childhood needs before funders, legislators, and communities.

  • Increased visibility: A visually distinct brand helps Thriving Wisconsin stand out among other backbone networks operating in the same space, making the organization easier to recognize and remember.

  • Organization-wide pride: Staff and member agencies have renewed confidence in, and ownership of, the brand.

In the transformation from Supporting Families Together Association to Thriving Wisconsin, RDG helped build the strategic foundation for years of advocacy. The new brand equips Thriving Wisconsin to face key moments confidently, knowing that they can consistently, accurately, and authentically communicate who they are.

 

“You’ve helped us develop a brand that our staff and members are proud to be associated with, and that is truly priceless.”

— Heidi Luft, Executive Director, Thriving Wisconsin

 

Special thanks to Joe Lindner of Badger Creative and the Thriving Wisconsin team.

Creative Direction & Strategy

Lydia Ravenwood

Art Direction

Lydia Ravenwood

Graphic Design

Lydia Ravenwood
Sarah Schauf

Lydia Ravenwood