Molding neighborhoods into secure, lively, and healthy spaces
The Chiron Community Foundation (CCGF) is focused on creating effective models to improve access to high-quality and affordable mental healthcare. They achieve this goal by partnering with organizations that offer clinical care, address basic needs, or provide education/training programs.
CCGF strategically invests in specific areas of North St. Louis City and North St. Louis County to bring about sustainable positive change. They actively support their grantees through capacity-building and organizational development activities, fostering collaboration. Importantly, CCGF consistently emphasizes the moral imperative of honoring diversity, equity, and inclusion in all their actions.
Setting the scene
CCGF embarked on creating a report based on their mental health research, acknowledging the challenge of simplifying complex data for the average citizen. The report focuses on three key areas: mental health outcomes, access to mental healthcare, and the impact of social factors. By pinpointing specific areas with higher needs, the study connects limited mental healthcare access to factors like education, employment, housing, healthcare coverage, and transportation.
The report aims to gather community-specific data, advocating for targeted investments in strategies for underserved areas. Recommendations include addressing data gaps, supporting community programs, and advocating for legislative changes. Beyond healthcare, the report emphasizes the significance of community initiatives and policies for creating safe and healthy conditions.
The ultimate goal is to foster collaboration, uniting diverse perspectives to address mental health disparities in St. Louis. Through effective data utilization, community engagement, and advocacy, the report aims to pave the way for positive improvements in mental health across the region.
Accessible report design
Our primary objective was not only to compile a report with text and data but to craft a compelling and informative narrative. To achieve this, we optimized the digital design for the standard 8.5x11 screen size, ensuring consistency with CCGF's brand colors and fonts while introducing new visual elements for a more appealing look. Additionally, we successfully distilled CCGF's dense mental health research into a clear layout, supplementing it with striking infographics and captivating visuals. This approach enhanced the accessibility and comprehensibility of the information for the broader community.
Establishing a design system
Recognizing the significance of maintaining a professional image and safeguarding the brand, CCGF underscored the need for a unified approach.
We started with CCGF's basic logo guidelines and then looked at their website to gather information about their brand, colors, fonts, mission, and vision. After refining and enhancing the visual elements, we combined them with new design components and visuals from our report project. These efforts resulted in a comprehensive brand style guide.
This guide provides clear and consistent instructions for presenting and communicating CCGF's identity across different platforms. Serving as a valuable reference for internal teams, external partners, and stakeholders, they are now in place to maintain CCGF's brand integrity, enhance recognition and differentiation, and create a unified brand experience.
From colors to design elements
Some key components of the guide include:
- Logo Usage: Guidelines for using the current company logo, including variations, minimum size, clear space, and placement rules on different backgrounds.
- Color Palette: Primary and secondary colors with their hex codes and Pantone values, along with usage instructions for different applications and color combinations.
- Typography: Specifications for consistent fonts and typefaces, including headings, titles, body text, and supporting elements.
- Iconography: Improvements to their existing icon style while style maintaining the overall look and feel. We included instructions for using brand icons, including selection, style, and size guidelines.
- Imagery and Photography: Guidelines for selecting and using images that align with the brand's visual style, including subject matter, composition, color treatments, and usage rights.
- Design Elements: Instructions for using patterns, textures, gradients, or borders that contribute to the brand's visual identity.
- Layout and Grid System: Recommendations for consistent layouts, grids, and spacing across brand materials.
"A beautiful job bringing our foundation's report to life. The visualized data and narrative were enhanced by the very professional graphic design services provided by Acton Circle."
