Terence Crutcher Foundation

Client
Terence Crutcher Foundation
services
Brand Strategy, Identity Updates, Website Design, Interactive Report, Boutique Printing

Terence Crutcher Sr. was shot and killed on September 16, 2016 by Officer Betty Shelby in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was unarmed and law enforcement was not called to the scene due to any wrongdoing from Terence. He pleaded with the officers to not shoot. In the aftermath of this horrible event, his twin sister now leads a foundation committed to shining a light on the racial injustices that are a party of the daily fabric of Oklahoma. We helped them design their generational report, the centerpiece of their research and communication efforts, drawing on several decades of research.

Though we knew from the outset that we were going to help them create a printed report and an interactive digital report, several things immediately became clear. First, the report extremely dense with valuable, worthwhile, challenging information written in an academic voice. This was both exciting, and potentially a limiting reactant for our reach. We addressed this by creating over 20 custom illustrations, and several interactive components for the digital report to keep the reader engaged and stimulated throughout the report. Secondly, it was clear that for this report to receive the attention and respect it deserved, the identity for the foundation needed to be cleaned up and systemized to allow further flexibility, and to communicate exactly what was intended.

Previously, there was very little negative space in the brand marks, which made them very challenging to use at small sizes. Additionally, the red—inspired by Terence's blood—read more like an RGB red. Reducing the vibrance of the red, and bringing a bit of red into the black were the foundation for our expanded color palette, to which we added a family of greens. Together; red, black, and green make up the Pan-African flag. The previous typefaces attempted to not at black protest signage from the civil rights movement, but with Futura as the subhead in Red Black and White, we were concerned that this brand has unintended linkage to the visual language of Nazis. We updated the typefaces to prioritize legible reductions, and added "The Neue Black" by Vocal Type as the primary brand font. Vocal type is our favorite Black-Owned type studio, and The Neue Black captured the urgency of the moment without having to rely so explicitly on typography of the past with mixed connotations.

Terence Crutcher Sr. was shot and killed on September 16, 2016 by Officer Betty Shelby in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was unarmed and law enforcement was not called to the scene due to any wrongdoing from Terence. He pleaded with the officers to not shoot. In the aftermath of this horrible event, his twin sister now leads a foundation committed to shining a light on the racial injustices that are a party of the daily fabric of Oklahoma. We helped them design their generational report, the centerpiece of their research and communication efforts, drawing on several decades of research.

Though we knew from the outset that we were going to help them create a printed report and an interactive digital report, several things immediately became clear. First, the report extremely dense with valuable, worthwhile, challenging information written in an academic voice. This was both exciting, and potentially a limiting reactant for our reach. We addressed this by creating over 20 custom illustrations, and several interactive components for the digital report to keep the reader engaged and stimulated throughout the report. Secondly, it was clear that for this report to receive the attention and respect it deserved, the identity for the foundation needed to be cleaned up and systemized to allow further flexibility, and to communicate exactly what was intended.

Previously, there was very little negative space in the brand marks, which made them very challenging to use at small sizes. Additionally, the red—inspired by Terence's blood—read more like an RGB red. Reducing the vibrance of the red, and bringing a bit of red into the black were the foundation for our expanded color palette, to which we added a family of greens. Together; red, black, and green make up the Pan-African flag. The previous typefaces attempted to not at black protest signage from the civil rights movement, but with Futura as the subhead in Red Black and White, we were concerned that this brand has unintended linkage to the visual language of Nazis. We updated the typefaces to prioritize legible reductions, and added "The Neue Black" by Vocal Type as the primary brand font. Vocal type is our favorite Black-Owned type studio, and The Neue Black captured the urgency of the moment without having to rely so explicitly on typography of the past with mixed connotations.

Terence Crutcher Sr. was shot and killed on September 16, 2016 by Officer Betty Shelby in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was unarmed and law enforcement was not called to the scene due to any wrongdoing from Terence. He pleaded with the officers to not shoot. In the aftermath of this horrible event, his twin sister now leads a foundation committed to shining a light on the racial injustices that are a party of the daily fabric of Oklahoma. We helped them design their generational report, the centerpiece of their research and communication efforts, drawing on several decades of research.

Though we knew from the outset that we were going to help them create a printed report and an interactive digital report, several things immediately became clear. First, the report extremely dense with valuable, worthwhile, challenging information written in an academic voice. This was both exciting, and potentially a limiting reactant for our reach. We addressed this by creating over 20 custom illustrations, and several interactive components for the digital report to keep the reader engaged and stimulated throughout the report. Secondly, it was clear that for this report to receive the attention and respect it deserved, the identity for the foundation needed to be cleaned up and systemized to allow further flexibility, and to communicate exactly what was intended.

Previously, there was very little negative space in the brand marks, which made them very challenging to use at small sizes. Additionally, the red—inspired by Terence's blood—read more like an RGB red. Reducing the vibrance of the red, and bringing a bit of red into the black were the foundation for our expanded color palette, to which we added a family of greens. Together; red, black, and green make up the Pan-African flag. The previous typefaces attempted to not at black protest signage from the civil rights movement, but with Futura as the subhead in Red Black and White, we were concerned that this brand has unintended linkage to the visual language of Nazis. We updated the typefaces to prioritize legible reductions, and added "The Neue Black" by Vocal Type as the primary brand font. Vocal type is our favorite Black-Owned type studio, and The Neue Black captured the urgency of the moment without having to rely so explicitly on typography of the past with mixed connotations.

Belief. Attitude. Determination.

Belief. Attitude. Determination.

Belief. Attitude. Determination.