Logo Design & Brand Identity

Every brand we create begins with listening. Before a single concept is sketched, we invest deeply in understanding your organization — your mission, your audience, your competitive landscape, and the legacy you are building. This structured, collaborative process ensures that the brand we deliver is not just visually compelling, but strategically grounded and built to last.

We begin with a comprehensive discovery phase. This includes stakeholder interviews with leadership, board members, and key staff; a review of your existing brand materials; and a competitive audit of peer organizations in your sector. For universities, foundations, and nonprofits, this phase is especially important — your brand must speak to multiple audiences simultaneously, from donors and board members to students, clients, and the broader community. The insights gathered in discovery become the strategic foundation for everything that follows.

With discovery complete, we develop your brand strategy. This document defines your brand positioning, core messaging, tone of voice, and the key attributes that differentiate your organization. It answers the fundamental question: what do you want people to feel and believe when they encounter your brand? For mission-driven organizations, this step is often transformative — it gives leadership a shared language and a clear direction that aligns internal teams and external communications.

Armed with a clear strategy, our design team begins the creative process. We develop multiple logo concepts, each rooted in the brand strategy and tailored to your organization’s unique character. We explore typography, color systems, iconography, and visual metaphors that authentically represent your mission. Concepts are presented with context — showing how each direction would appear across real-world applications such as websites, stationery, signage, and publications. Feedback is gathered, refined, and iterated until the direction feels unmistakably right.

A logo is the cornerstone, but a brand identity is the full system. Once the logo direction is approved, we build out the complete visual identity: primary and secondary color palettes, typographic hierarchies, iconography, photography and illustration guidelines, and layout principles. Every element is documented in a comprehensive brand style guide — a living reference that empowers your internal teams and external vendors to apply the brand consistently across every touchpoint, for years to come.

We do not simply hand over files and walk away. Project6 provides organized, production-ready asset packages in all required formats — print, digital, web, and social. We offer guidance on brand rollout strategy, helping organizations plan the transition from old brand to new in a way that feels intentional and celebratory rather than abrupt. For clients who need ongoing support, we are available as a long-term creative partner for all branded communications that follow.

Mission-driven organizations face a branding challenge that for-profit companies rarely encounter: you must inspire trust, communicate complex impact, and motivate action — often across a wide range of audiences with very different motivations. Donors want to see credibility and stewardship. Clients and beneficiaries want to feel seen and respected. Board members and leadership want a brand that reflects the organization’s ambition. Project6 Design has spent more than 24 years helping nonprofits, foundations, universities, and public agencies navigate exactly this challenge.

We are not a generalist agency that occasionally works with nonprofits. Our client roster is built around mission-driven organizations — from regional foundations and national advocacy groups to research universities and healthcare nonprofits. This focus means we understand the internal dynamics of nonprofit branding: the consensus-building required across stakeholder groups, the budget realities, the need for a brand that can be maintained by a small internal team, and the importance of communicating impact without resorting to corporate jargon. That institutional knowledge is embedded in every project we take on.

Branding a university or a foundation is not the same as branding a startup. The process involves more stakeholders, more layers of approval, and more nuanced storytelling. Project6 has developed a collaborative methodology specifically designed for organizations with complex governance structures. We facilitate stakeholder workshops, present work in stages that build consensus rather than create conflict, and guide leadership through difficult decisions with clarity and confidence. Our clients often tell us that the branding process itself — not just the final brand — was one of the most valuable outcomes of working with us.

Founded in San Francisco in 2001, Project6 Design has deep roots in the Bay Area’s vibrant nonprofit and philanthropic community. We have worked with foundations, universities, and mission-driven organizations across California and throughout the United States. Our Bay Area location places us at the intersection of design excellence and social impact — a community that holds both to an exceptionally high standard. Whether you are based in San Francisco, across the country, or working remotely, we bring that same standard of craft and strategic thinking to every engagement.

Organizations often have important questions when developing or refreshing their brand identity. Whether launching a new initiative, evolving an existing brand, or aligning multiple programs under a unified identity, the branding process can involve many strategic decisions.

Below are answers to some of the most common questions about brand strategy, logo design, and brand identity development. These FAQs explain how the branding process works, what deliverables to expect, and how a strong brand can support long-term growth and audience engagement.