Spencer Brenneman recently had the opportunity to create a new logo for the South Carolina Network of Child Advocacy Centers (SCNCAC). We spoke with Spencer Brennenman Senior Art Director Kim Vanni about the process.
What was the intent of the redesign?
SCNCAC wanted a change. Their previous logo (shown here) had served its purpose for many years, and the time was right for a refresh. As we envisioned a new look, they asked us to keep in mind the following:
- The organization’s long name. We needed to ensure it was clearly readable and also find a way to make it seem shorter.
- Visual references to the SC state branding and flag. Unlike the existing logo, we wanted to ensure that the new icon would not imply that SCNCAC is a state agency.
- Visual references to childhood. The logo should not be child-like since SCNCAC supports the work of the state’s child advocacy centers (CACs) and does not work directly with children.
How did you decide on the icon?
The new logo needed to reflect a positive spirit appropriate for the work that SCNCAC does to serve the children of South Carolina. We looked at a variety of different approaches and are very happy with the Full Heart concept they ultimately selected.
The full, rounded heart symbolizes the tremendous compassion and understanding that the SCNCAC’s support fosters for children who are the victims of abuse. The three-part color blocking indicates the cooperation between SCNCAC (blue) and the CACs (yellow), which function independently and also come together (green) to accomplish the critical work they all do. Finally, we paired the new icon with a font with clean lines and curves to reinforce SCNCAC’s warm and caring character.
How did you decide on the colors?
Since SCNCAC was not going through a complete rebrand, we considered their existing color palette in the context of their brand values and feedback from their staff and BOD. We also looked at their palette’s use in various digital and printed materials and the ease of transitioning them to accommodate their new logo design.
With all those things in mind, we maintained their primary blue color and identified a lighter blue in the wordmark for “network of” to help shorten the long name visually. Next, we gave their primary green some subtle tweaks to balance more intentionally with their blue. Finally, with the development of the Full Heart icon, it was very natural to use a warm yellow to demonstrate further the unification of the two sides of the heart, i.e., the two groups working together with the same purpose.
