20. MENDEDESIGN
“Nonprofits are fighting for their lives for funding,” designer Jeremy Mende states matter-of-factly. “If you can give [a nonprofit’s identity] a sense of longevity, the more viable it makes them in securing funding.” Mende resisted the usual approach to identity creation for this fledgling nonprofit because, as he notes, “To draw a picture of what this firm stands for—public architecture advocacy and education—would limit us to little pictures of people and civic structures.”

Instead, he used the company’s mission statement directly in an innovative typographic treatment. As Mende puts it: “We created a conceptual image using words and typography, a more literary approach.” The stacked text’s resemblance to a classic edifice is an added bonus. “It looks like [the company] has history, even though it’s just out of the gate,” he remarks. It also makes each piece of the firm’s identity a remarkably complete statement of their goals. “Even if people only read the name and the first line of the text, it’s enough to give a sense of the mission—and make it honest and believable,” Mende continues. “We’re all cynical about promises that aren’t delivered. To convey humanist ideals in a way that’s not immediately critiqued—that’s powerful.” Jude Stewart