In partnership with 
The Power to Unlock Potential
Empowering children through culturally relevant books. Young, Black & Lit has a simple yet powerful mission – to increase access to children’s books that reflect the experiences of black children. Their purpose was clear, and they were already changing the lives of young readers across the country, but they needed a brand that could reflect the amazing work they do in a consistent and memorable way. That’s where we came in.
In partnership with Bigmouth Creative, we took them through a strategic process to develop a strong brand message that mirrors the spirit of the organization and brings their mission and values to life. Our partner Bigmouth used this insight in their creative process to develop a new identity and design system.
Services Brand Strategy
BRAND BOOKTaking inspiration from the books they share
How do you build a brand book for an organization that works with children’s books? You make it as lively and exciting as a children’s book! We took cues from the colors, pictures, styles, and personalities of the many wonderful books YB&L distributes to create a brand book that would fit right in.
IDENTITY SYSTEMCreating a system that works for every audience
In developing a new identity, we needed to be sure Young, Black & Lit had a flexible system that would work for both families and investors. We chose typefaces, colors and a photography style that feel at home in the children’s book space and are sophisticated enough to appeal to our partners—the perfect balance of playful yet professional.
PRIMARY COLOR PALETTE
TYPOGRAPHY
SECONDARY COLOR PALETTE
PLAYFULL ILLUSTRATIONS
“Young, Black & Lit started out as a passion project and after only a few years, grew into an organization that has supplied thousands of books to children across the Chicagoland area. We cannot thank you enough for all of your hard work!”
KRENICE RAMSEY, CO-FOUNDER, YOUNG, BLACK & LIT
“Young, Black & Lit started out as a passion project and after only a few years, grew into an organization that has supplied thousands of books to children across the Chicagoland area. We cannot thank you enough for all of your hard work!”
KRENICE RAMSEY, CO-FOUNDER, YOUNG, BLACK & LIT
IDENTITYDesigning a logo that says it all
We wanted Young, Black & Lit’s logo to be immediately recognizable, clearly communicate what they do, and showcase the fun side of their work. So we paired a bold typeface with their warm, primary colors and a simple, playful illustration of the most important part of their purpose – inspiring young readers.
SOCIAL MEDIAA comprehensive multi-platform approach
For Young, Black & Lit’s online presence, we defined a more streamlined message and a set of talking points for the team to use consistently across platforms. A social media content guide was also developed that conveyed the new look & feel and allowed the content team to quickly and easily create fresh content.
