When you’ve got one of the three most recognizable logos in the world (behind McDonald’s and Coca-Cola), in use in some form or fashion since 1891, you know you shouldn’t mess with the basics. But how do you communicate that your longevity and mass awareness doesn’t translate to old-fashioned, stale or out of touch? When the YMCA of Greater St. Louis faced this issue, they came to Project 13 for help.

While the three-sided triangle (symbolizing unity of spirit, mind and body) with the bent bar was the registered logo (and not to be messed with), the rest of the identity was up to us. An additional challenge was that the association itself is made up of 20 branches in the St. Louis area, each serving a distinct community, and each with distinct communication needs. All locations had to be tied together with a consistent look and feel that still allowed for customization when needed.

We began by updating the logo type with a progressive but simplistic san serif typeface that is exceptionally readable at smaller sizes. We overhauled the entire corporate identity for each location and gave them a cohesive suite of materials representative of their expertise and progressive attitude. This also translated into a redesign of corporate and branch newsletters, membership marketing materials and a corporate website, which was developed to allow each location to manage its own content.  By upgrading photography, color palettes and type treatments, and the overall size and shape of the individual pieces, we were able to help this historic brand become relevant to a whole new group of people.