The Vision

Catalyst California works toward building a world where systems are designed for justice and support equitable access to resources and opportunities for all to thrive.

The Challenge

Catalyst California, formerly Advancement Project California, went through a monumental shift in 2022 when they entered a new chapter by separating themselves from the national arm of Advancement Project to position themselves to better focus on the unique needs of racial justice in California. As a part of this restructuring, they came to us with the goal of creating a new brand strategy, visual identity, as well as a new name. The new brand needed to remain respectful of their past while introducing their new voice and point of view to the world.

Our Approach

Through rigorous audience research and a series of workshops, we began to surface the need for developing a brand and name which centers on conveying impact and the agency of the individual to build power. We developed a design language and messaging strategy which can be applied analytically as well as in bold and impactful ways to surface key messages.

Results so far

Catalyst California introduced themselves to the world with a brand launch in the fall of 2022. The cohesive visual language as well as key messaging we developed helped to establish the foundation for which the brand can carry itself into the future.

Following the success of the branding process, we were hired by Catalyst California to engage in continued work surrounding creating an implementation strategy to introduce the new brand internally to staff as well as conceptualize PR strategy for introducing the brand to the world. We continued work with Catalyst California to film, strategize, and develop a brand launch video which is slated to be released in early 2023.