On the eve of its 150th anniversary, the Women’s Humane Society was facing a proverbial “fork in the road.”
In reflecting on the significance of reaching this historic milestone as a one-stop provider of comprehensive pet services, care, and education, the WHS team had identified a need to more clearly communicate its mission and increase public awareness about its offerings going forward. As a result, they contacted us to help in creating a new visual identity, website, and — most significant of all — a potential brand new organization name. We were pleased to take on this project not only because we support their goals, but also because we share their love for pets of all kinds.
With these large-scale objectives in front of us, we began an extensive discovery phase that allowed us to gather insights on a very detailed level. Our process included reviewing existing site content, conducting stakeholder and customer questionnaires, examining competitor offerings, and exploring the nuances and perceived benefits of the organization’s current name, logo, and brand equity.
Our findings supported anecdotal evidence suggesting that the current name did not convey that the center provides services for pets rather than women, and also did not reflect their rich history or full array of offerings, including sheltering unwanted and homeless animals, cruelty prevention and humane education programs, affordable veterinary care, spaying/neutering, and adoptions. After thoroughly exploring several naming options, we settled on one that the client agreed hit all of the right notes: Women’s Animal Center.
Playing off of this name, we created a modern new wordmark and logo that work together with their tagline “America’s First Animal Shelter” to honor the organization’s innovative philosophy as well as its historical significance, and added a whimsical graphic that conveys the warm and caring approach they take to caring for animals on every level. We also made a modified version of the logo that incorporates the 150th anniversary details to be applied across a wide variety of materials throughout their year-long celebration of this event.
In creating the new website, our goals were to guide users through a satisfying and engaging online experience, being particularly considerate of their needs and emotional state, while providing mobile-friendly features and intuitive information architecture to alleviate current UX pain points. We incorporated playful colors, lighthearted graphics, and features that encourage visitors to engage WAC’s services and take advantage of the many opportunities for involvement — with clear calls to action for exploring adoption, scheduling appointments, registering for events, making donations, and more. Finally, viewers can browse news and events, read inspiring personal stories about pets and their owners, and scroll through top stories on the social media feed.
"We're receiving great feedback on the new brand and website ... and it is truly an exciting time for us. Your dedication and your love for animals shines through on every part of this project. Thank you for being such great partners."
With these significant changes and meaningful new branding tools in place, the organization is now well positioned to move forward into its next phase as a regional champion of animal welfare, humane care, education, and awareness.
