The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations

Investing in Our Common Future

Responsive web design for The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, a mission-driven philanthropic organization

Quick Overview

The Background

How do organizations honor the past while looking toward the future? The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (AVDF) was at this crossroads when they reached out for our help. AVDF has evolved since its founding in 1952, but their evolution outpaced their messaging and visual identity. Research indicated the organization’s brand had become a bit “stodgy” and lacked focus overall. AVDF needed a new identity that was clear, modern, and angled toward the future without abandoning their storied past. We came through with a comprehensive brand strategy and modern web design to match.

avdf.org

Understand the Challenges

We dug deeply into the real issues at hand to craft a strategic plan and recommend the best way forward.

Modernize the Identity

After learning everything that AVDF is and what they believe, we created a comprehensive, authentic brand identity.

Reimagine the Website

With a new brand comes a new website, and for AVDF, a site that is equally practical and visually engaging.

01

A New Brand Strategy

After years of growth, AVDF reached an inflection point where they needed a revitalized brand strategy to support the Foundation into the future. Our discovery process unearthed notable opportunities for the brand and laid the groundwork for the new visual identity and messaging playbook.

The existing brand needed to be clearer and more ambitious.

After auditing the brand, we uncovered a diverse list of funding areas that didn’t appear organized by any central brand vision. This lack of structure needed to be clarified before we were able to develop a unified identity.

To resonate with AVDF’s diverse audiences, we got to know each unique segment.

We documented everything that drives key audiences to engage with AVDF, including financial, emotional, self-reflective, and functional motivations. A deep understanding of the various target markets is vital to the success of the new brand strategy.

02

Rooted in History. Focused on the Future.

What makes a brand? It’s not the logo, not the mission statement, not the pretty marketing collateral – it’s a reputation, supported by a combination of all these important elements. AVDF’s new brand identity takes its strong reputation and enhances it for today’s ever-evolving world. We built their new identity via an updated brand definition, new logo design, and a comprehensive visual identity system.

Making a new mark on the world

Classic, elegant, but still undeniably modern – the logo we designed for The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations simultaneously draws on the existing personality of the organization while pushing toward a future that’s both bold and bright.

Business card design for The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, a mission-driven philanthropic organization
Tagline for The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, a mission-driven nonprofit

Typography & Color

There’s a thin line between looking timeless and looking outdated. We aimed for the former with our choice of fonts and color palette for AVDF, and ended up with a brand that feels simultaneously modern and classic. 

Custom brand color palette for The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, a mission-driven philanthropic organization

 

 

Branded Typography for The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, a mission-driven philanthropic organization

This bold yet somewhat traditional font has a modern feel, yet fits nicely with AVDF’s storied mission.

Branded Typography for The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, a mission-driven philanthropic organization

By sticking within the same type family for subheadings, we were able to create a sense of cohesion between typefaces.

Branded Typography for The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, a mission-driven philanthropic organization

This san serif font adds balance to AVDF’s suite of typefaces and serves as a clean and readable choice for body text.

03

Outlining the UX Strategy

Elegant UX is the art of serving specific users the right website content at the right time. We set out to achieve this for AVDF’s new site by using the new brand as a foundation, then getting down to the heart of users’ wants, needs, and objectives.

Establishing the ideal user journey starts here.

We collaborated with the AVDF team to chart the specific journey each of their audience personas must take to achieve stated goals on the new site. Ironically, this structured exercise allowed us to think outside the box, coming up with new ways to engage, delight, and reduce friction in the UX.

Putting the pieces together.

We developed a new direction for AVDF’s sitemap that put the user’s needs first. By clarifying the main navigation and elevating past grantees to highlight AVDF’s impact, we created an experience that told the story of the organization while pragmatically making important information easy to access.

04

A New Website Designed for Maximum Impact

The new website provided an ideal platform from which to launch the new brand. Combining micro-animations, sophisticated photography, and a rich color palette, the digital experience we designed for AVDF provides visitors with an opportunity to learn more about the organization and discover ways to engage with the mission. The site serves as a bold introduction to AVDF’s new brand identity and positions the organization for continued success.

Mobile web design for The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, a mission-driven philanthropic organization
05

An Instant Impact

Immediately after launch, the new site went to work helping AVDF achieve their goals. If the initial results of the website are any indication, the future for Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the initiatives they support, is brighter than ever.

Overall page views increased by
7%
The new Grant Application page, the single most important page for conversions, became the second highest trafficked page on the site.
Average time on page increased by
15%
Organic search traffic increased by
10.5%
Quote
Push10 helped us to create and launch our new brand. In addition, they designed a new website that is beautiful, functional, and user friendly, and that provides applicants and grantees the information they need. We were extremely pleased with Push10’s vision, creativity, and execution.
Michael Murray, President, AVDF

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