⌲ Client: Vera institute of justice

Defending community safety


The Challenge:

When the Department of Justice cut nearly $820 million in federal funding—threatening over 350 community grants that support healing, housing, youth opportunity, and care—we worked with the Vera Institute of Justice to quickly respond with a bold brand and urgent digital platform designed to share information and mobilize action. The website served as both an engagement hub and an organizing tool, allowing people to track where cuts were happening, follow the status of legal challenges, and join the effort to defend the frontline solutions that keep communities safe.

Brand ⌁ Web

Two people leaning against a red brick wall, one with a backpack, engaged in conversation.

The BRANDGUIDE

Balancing bold with informative, we created a brand that was at once a call to arms and a stayed educational disseminator. For it’s place on the national stage, we developed a palette rooted in a modern American aesthetic, and were careful to stay neutral on the political spectrum—community safety is bipartisan after all.

A collage of presentation slides focused on branding, safety, typography, color palette, and photography. The slides include text, charts, color samples, and images of people, with a professional and modern design layout.
Sample text showing different fonts and typefaces, including Helvetica Bold, Zodiak, Azeret Mono, and usage instructions on a dark background.
A flyer with bold black text on a cream background promoting community work and defending rights. It mentions 353 partner organizations and includes a red 'Join us' link at the bottom.
Map of the United States showing cuts from safety organizations, with statistics on states lost services and grants, and a popup detailing information about Black Mental Health Alliance in Baltimore, MD.
A webpage discussing community safety organizations and their work to prevent crime through mental health support, addiction help, youth programs, and violence prevention, with sections explaining what safety looks like and highlighting specific initiatives.
Webpage titled 'Strengthening justice' with an image of a classical building's columns and a street lamp, discussing reform in the criminal justice system.
Screenshot of a website titled 'We Are Safety' with a section called 'Ongoing efforts' discussing efforts in violence prevention and court litigation, featuring a 'Support safety' button and information about filings in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

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