“Islands Trust is a unique federation of local governments serving islands in the Salish Sea.” They are “responsible for preserving and protecting the islands’ unique amenities and environment.” Their publications and other communications material lacked cohesion and weren’t communicating the organization’s values and services. There was also public confusion around what Islands Trust is and does. It was vital that an identity redesign steer the organization away from being perceived as bureaucratic, corporate, unapproachable non-islanders. Staff wanted Islands Trust to be more recognizable; to appear modern, friendly, credible, professional and accessible; and to stand out from other governments. That said, in order to maintain recognition, they decided to keep the current logo for now to aid the visual transition.

After surveying staff to identify the issues above and a path forward, I conducted an exhaustive publications audit. This revealed that their publications and other communications material lacked cohesion, were often hard to read, and generally poorly designed. Their material wasn’t communicating the Islands Trust’s values and services.

Drawing on elements from nature and culture in the Islands Trust area, I developed a flexible system that would allow local committees to feel some design autonomy within a framework. It allows options for different contexts (through colour and type choices) while maintaining the integrity of the identity overall. The resulting guidelines are being followed by the in-house designer.

The process, which included pitching the benefits of the redesign to management, got staff talking about the need for and importance of a professional, consistent public face that enhances credibility and helps Islands Trust achieve business goals. My work and guidelines have improved the quality of their communications products, reduced decision-making and saved production time.

At left are applications so far of this new identity. View the whole annual report (8mb PDF).