10 years ago, Venture For America was born on the premise of creating economic opportunities in American cities by mobilizing the next generation of entrepreneurs and equipping them with the skills and resources they need to create jobs.
Our commitment to that mission hasn’t changed — but our impact on the cities and communities that we work with has grown to be so much more. We recognized that we weren’t quite telling the whole story.
We’ve helped more than 1200 leaders and founders create economic growth across the United States and we serve as an onramp to entrepreneurship for underrepresented groups.
We know our Fellows and Alumni care greatly about social impact and recognize their ability to have a positive effect on the community around them. They see Venture For America not only as a way to advance their own economic or entrepreneurial ambitions, but as a way to create change. With our eyes on the next 10 years and greater long-term success, we seized the moment to evolve our brand to match the energy and charisma of our one-of-a-kind community.
Alongside strategy and brand studio Niftic Agency, we set out to tell our story truthfully and authentically, which started with listening to our Fellows and Alumni – the very people who make up our wonderful community. Interviews, focus groups, and surveys gave us nuance and detail as we began to weave the fabric of our story, deeply understanding the need to prioritize approachability and inclusivity in our updated brand – only then could we ensure that our message would be heard by everyone. Our Company Partners and local supporters also joined in this conversation in building the story of our impact on local businesses and the broader community.
A Logo that Embodies our Fellows’ Unique Journeys
To emphasize the unique connections and personalized pathway or Venture of each Fellow, we created a custom monoline treatment of the keyword ‘Venture’ making the logo a memorable and recognizable feature of the brand.
Paying homage to the work and brand equity Venture For America has built over the past decade, we opted to maintain the mostly red, white, and blue palette – infusing a unique twist of colors that balance the energy and vibrancy of the organization with the valuable work in each VFA city. The overall palette combined with the approachable type invite a broader audience to listen in and join our community.
Venture For [You]
We reimagined how the logo could be used throughout the brand in a unique, unifying way. Highlighting cities, events, and initiatives with a custom wordmark to strengthen the core brand and add personalization on a local level. A beautiful and flexible concept that can be easily extended into broader initiatives and campaigns.
Telling a Visual Narrative
We use the new line treatment as a functional tool to lead the eye – to weave together ideas, messaging, people, and places all within the Venture for America brand. We utilized this treatment to signify the distinctive pathways and strong connections, to add context and local representation, and to provide visual indication and a tool for content flow.
Bringing Focus and Intention to the Digital Experience
We redesigned our website to not only elevate the brand but also successfully guide prospective Fellows through what to expect from our Fellowship. Personal and intimate stories from Fellows and Alumni give insights into the Venture For America experience. Finally, we tell our story as authentically as it should be.
As we launch into this next chapter of Venture For America, we’re honored to be a part of so many inspiring stories, and look forward eagerly as we usher in the next 10 years of leaders, founders, and startups into our ever-growing community. The approachability of our new brand is not a dismissal of the momentous accomplishments of our community. Instead, it’s a recognition of them and a call-to-action to bring even more entrepreneurially-minded stakeholders into the fold of our empowering work to multiply this impact.