Dedicated to helping children achieve success, The Hawn Foundation needed a brand for its flagship program that communicated the optimism and passion of its beliefs. Working pro bono, we created MindUp and helped the organization overhaul its presentation to the world.

Situation

The Hawn Foundation, founded by award-winning actress Goldie Hawn, believes if we can teach children to better handle stress so they are able to succeed, we will create a better society. The organization has developed and implemented an evidence-based education program that helps teachers and their students decrease anxiety, increase focus in the classroom and manage emotions and behaviors more effectively.

The organization came to CoreBrand because their visual identity and branding around the educational curriculum did not adequately support their vision, mission and brand attributes.

Solution

After defining the key attributes of the organization, we designed a new identity that balances the Foundation’s humanistic nature and the innovative thinking and scientific rigor behind its programs and initiatives. The “steps logo” reflects how the organization promotes interpersonal connections and educational progress, and the visual language used throughout communications incorporates horizon lines to reinforce these concepts. The warm, bright colors, reminiscent of the sun, communicate joy and hope.

Next, we rebranded the curriculum so it was better aligned with The Hawn Foundation’s brand and would appeal to a wide range of audiences — from K–7th grade students and parents to educators. While simple and straightforward, the new MindUp name and logo speak to the scientific research behind the curriculum and its goal of supporting children to help them learn.

Finally, we provided the Foundation with easy-to-use templates to simplify management of communication materials and keep production costs low.