Industry
Non-profits
Purpose Foundation
Agency
Purpose
Role: Lead Designer/Creative Direction
- Pitched directly to the partner, won the identity direction, and owned the project end-to-end through final delivery
- Designed logo, monogram, color, and typography systems
- Built the brand guideline and delivered print-ready stationery files
- Collaborated with the web developer to translate the identity into the website design
- Created self-initiated motion studies as an exploratory extension of the identity
Challenge
Purpose Foundation had spent over a decade supporting work across poverty relief, education, and human rights, but lacked a clear public-facing identity. The challenge was to create a brand that could communicate long-standing credibility and emotional warmth, while turning a broad strategic direction into a more specific and usable visual system. I translated this direction into a brand language rooted in solidarity, empathy, and collective strength rather than confrontation, resulting in a system that felt clear, human, and scalable across touchpoints.
Impact
The new identity gives Purpose Foundation a clearer, more serious, and more human public presence for funders, partners, and local communities. Since 2020, the foundation has received 36 grants from 24 grantmakers totaling $10,992,380, supporting work across poverty relief, education, and human rights.
Team
Project Lead / Partner:
Jessy Tolkan
Creative Direction & Lead Design:
Yating Liu
Web Developer:
Matt Lima
Project Management:
Annie Melia
I created a monogram “PF” mark where the inner gap captures the moment people lift a banner together. I softened the sans-serif letterform corners into a rounded, heart-leaning shape to balance credibility with a warmer, more approachable tone. For these reasons, this was the direction I recommended most strongly among my three versions
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