The Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia is a nonprofit network of local triple bottom line businesses and social entrepreneurs committed to building a just, green, and thriving local economy.
Founded in 2001 by Judy Wicks, then owner of the White Dog Café, SBN adopted Wicks’s vision of “changing the way the world does business by beginning on a local level.” By 2004, SBN had grown to 148 member businesses, and Leanne Krueger-Braneky was hired as Executive Director, a position that she still holds today.
SBN now has over 500 member companies representing over 5,000 employees in the Philadelphia region. Under Krueger-Braneky’s leadership, SBN has grown into a powerful business-oriented organization with political clout and an increasingly central role in sustainability advocacy.
In December 2009, Rita Myers Graphic Design was hired to develop a new identity which would reflect SBN’s current status. RMGD worked closely with SBN staff, the Logo Committee, and the Board of Directors over a six-month period to create the new identity.
The primary goal of rebranding SBN was to enhance its professional profile, underscoring that it was now a mature organization. At the same time, it was imperative to avoid a look that could be interpreted as too corporate.
Along with “professional,” staff typically described SBN as “dynamic, energetic, exuberant, and hopeful.” It was clear that a successful visual positioning for SBN would be to strike a balance between the business and sustainable sides of the organization.
RMGD proceeded to experiment with dozens of design directions, running the gamut from modest alterations of the existing identity to radically different constructions. The most interesting “evolution or revolution” alternatives were presented to the Logo Committee and, of these, two designs were picked for further exploration. In March 2010, the Board of Directors voted to proceed with one of them.
The final design was completed in April 2010. It features an arc of abstract leaves that suggests growth as it fans open from left to right. The ascender of the “b” in the abbreviation below has been elongated to meet the leaves, functioning as a pivot point for the arc. The abbreviation and organization name are drawn in DIN, a highly legible and contemporary typeface, and their color is a darker, subdued shade of green, in contrast to the leaves.
The composition of the leaves is dynamic, exuberant, and even playful. It expresses SBN’s vitality, optimism, and commitment to sustainability. The typography is simpler, acting as a support for the leaves and evoking the business side of SBN. The new identity expresses the right balance of sustainability values and business expertise, achieving the goal that set the design process in motion, and creating a fresh look for an organization that is on the rise.
This design was presented to the Logo Committee in April and then to the Board in May, completing its adoption process. It was unveiled to the SBN membership at large at the Meet, Greet and Speak event, on June 11.
“Our board, staff, and membership are very excited about this next phase in our organization,” states Krueger-Braneky. “We’ve already begun work on our new website and the new brand is re-energizing our mission as we look to the future.”
