One Community Health

One Community Health

Caring for all, caring with heart

CHALLENGE

One Community Health reached out to Blue Marble in late 2016 for help with a new website. This federally funded community health center serves all people, regardless of their ability to pay. The health center was urgently in need of a more effective presence online. Their website had been neglected for years and was becoming an obstacle to sharing information.

Upon meeting with the leadership of One Community Health, it became clear that affordability of services was just one of the many remarkable aspects of their offerings. Blue Marble was challenged with the task to convey that affordability and inclusiveness in no way translates to a sacrifice in quality. In fact, One Community Health’s unique whole-person approach is cutting-edge.

INSIGHT

The leadership team's goals included:

• greater visibility for their integrated approach to care

• emphasizing a brand new element of care—Behavioral Health

• Spanish and English language versions of the website without an excessive maintenance burden on staff

• Accessibility to mobile devices

• A structure for ongoing publication of health resources and other articles

RESULTS

• Thoughtful information architecture made sense of the offerings and provided scaffolding for an extensive re-write of the content in collaboration with Katie Roberts.

• A user-friendly content management system (CMS), has allowed the site to grow and change, thus making updates possible for OCH in-house and non-technical staff members.

• The graphics and icons we developed convey the idea of whole-person health and its various components. These provide consistency across all media.

• We coordinated and directed three days of on-site photography to produce a library of authentic, professional photos to reinforce key messages.

• We created a brand guide and a detailed website handbook along with ongoing training and technical support, empowering OCH to bring website and brand management in-house.

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(photo credits Jen Jones)

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CLIENT

One Community Health

SERVICES

Brand and message development

Website design and development

Training and ongoing support

FOCUS

Health & Well-being

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Maslow Project | A unique solution to youth homelessness

A unique solution to youth homelessness

CHALLENGE

Maslow Project has worked hard to establish a network of programs and support to address the physical, mental, emotional and aspirational needs of Jackson County’s homeless youth and their families. When they contacted Blue Marble, Maslow already had tremendous impact in the community and was highly regarded as an agency of integrity in advocating for its clients. Although Maslow Project had already gained some national (and even international) attention for its innovative model, they struggled to allocate the necessary resources to build and maintain a cohesive brand identity. Unfortunately, this led to confusion with other human services organizations in the community. When a donor asked where Maslow needed the most support, the leadership spoke up about the need for help with branding. The donor suggested (and generously funded) Blue Marble to develop a communication strategy to take Maslow's communications to the next level.

INSIGHTS

We took a two-pronged approach, developing one communication piece aimed at homeless youth and families, and another aimed at donors. The two audiences are both critically important, and in the process of developing these different items we gained a lot of clarity about the different needs and perspectives of each.

Maslow’s clients are young people, so protecting their privacy and respecting their dignity is paramount. As such Maslow had long ago decided against using images of their clients’ faces or other identifying features in any marketing or outreach material. We wholeheartedly agreed and took this into account when considering concepts for imagery. We all agreed that Maslow’s successful art therapy program would be a wonderful resource for inspiration.

The blue triangle in the Maslow logo is a powerful symbol that we retained and emphasized. The meaning of the triangle conveys many things besides the literal reference to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. We were reminded of the gable of a roof, a tent, raising up, strength, and stability. Inspired by a client artwork that depicted hands together in the shape of a triangle, we recommended that the Maslow team start using this hand gesture in real life as a physical symbol denoting “Maslow." When the hands are together formed into the triangle, they also convey the idea of embracing, encircling—Maslow’s wrap-around support.

It was also important to keep in mind that homelessness often goes unnoticed because it's not what people may assume. We were careful not to use any imagery that depicted dirty, downtrodden persons hanging on street corners or in back alleys. By contrast, we show uplifting images based on what Maslow offers its clients and their families and portray the outcomes that Maslow kids experience.

RESULTS

Now Maslow has a consistent, tangible way to describe how it works and to reference the many services it encompasses. External communications are better aligned with the organization’s internal vision.

• Maslow is able to differentiate from other organizations and establish its unique value proposition.

• Staff report a greater confidence and clarity when talking to others about what Maslow does.

• The team now has key collateral pieces like brochures and an array of visual assets, and they have been able to use to create other material in-house.

Photography credit: Natalie Faye (hands images and many others used on brochures)

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CLIENT

Maslow Project

SERVICES

Communication strategy

Brand and message development

Print and digital publication

FOCUS

Health & Well-being

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“It’s been capacity building for us in terms of now we not only have the assets, but we have the different pieces. We have our message much more finely targeted, and that did exactly what I was hoping which was to enable us to be more effective in telling our story out in the community and get community engagement.”

– Karen Phillips, Development Manager

“We are very happy with the products that we have. We have used them and people are responding very favorably. Our donors who funded the project are extremely pleased with the end result.”

– Mary Ferrell, Executive Director

Vision Quilt | Creative expression to prevent gun violence

Creative expression to prevent gun violence

Oregon group launches nationwide community art project

CHALLENGE

Incidents of gun violence have broken our collective and individual hearts time and again. In the United States, each incident incites a polarizing, often judgmental debate. Aside from (hopefully) holding our loved ones a bit closer, many of us are left wondering what we can do about such a deeply emotional and complex issue. 

In September 2015, a group from Southern Oregon contacted us with a unique perspective. Vision Quilt is asking people to envision a future without gun violence. They host creative workshops to help people express themselves, and they're collecting 18 x 24-inch works of art from participants. They piqued our interest when they told us they were recruiting people of all ages and backgrounds, including gun owners. We were impressed by the commitment they showed to embracing all voices and promoting the simple idea that change is possible. They were inspired by the AIDS quilt, and they're aspiring to reach a similar scale. Founder Cathy DeForest says, “This will become a major national movement shown in monuments and houses of worship around the country.” She pictures the quilts displayed at the Washington Monument one day.

The core committee was developing a campaign theme when Cathy reached out to Blue Marble for help. As seasoned professionals and artists they were not short on great ideas. They needed an outside authority to help them discern and develop their best concepts. At this point they had 20-30 panels, a few photos, and the beginnings of a website. They were eager to reach out to influential contacts and prospective partner organizations, but first they needed to be sure their message was clear, and that they would be taken seriously.

INSIGHT

We started with a review of the language Vision Quilt was considering. We watched videos and articles they shared to describe their views and motivations, and we discussed these ideas over a number of conference calls. When addressing a contentious issue like this it's important to for us to pay attention to many sources of commentary to build empathy for the audiences our client wants to reach. We refined the existing language with the goals of being clear, concise, engaging and nonpartisan. The writing was a collaborative process with a lot of testing on outsiders. When everyone agreed, we pared the language down one last time, suggesting an appropriate hierarchy for presentation on their website.

To visually represent the project, we advocated for a text-only logo, and for developing an adaptable visual language around that. It is common for people to want a logo that says everything, but of course that's challenging to pull off. In this case, the quilt panels themselves speak volumes—beautiful, poignant, politically charged, and with a wide range of visual styles. There was an important balance to be struck here between letting the panels be seen, and offering an inspiring but neutral focal point to welcome new participants.

We collected sketches and ideas from the group before providing a recommendation. One of our insights was to steer clear of quilt imagery. Stitching, warm fabric, and pieces coming together all seemed like nice metaphors, but we found these quilt ideas most compelling when described verbally. Graphically, we needed to counteract the image of a traditional quilt to convey the inclusiveness and scale of this work. One team member showed us a quilt she made when she was sixteen in the shape of the United States. Another was drawn to bright, hopeful colors, and provided some examples using watercolor. We merged these ideas to come up with the watercolor map imagery.

Inspiration provided by Vision Quilt

The custom, handwritten logo is intended to convey the grassroots and emotional nature of the project. The map image delivers the main idea—a national art project. We provided alternate imagery for use on business cards and event banners of hands coming together with different artistic media, showing how the watercolor look could be extended to other symbolism. Time will tell how to best evolve this brand and we look forward to continued collaborations.

RESULTS 

• The new language and visuals were added to the website just in time for high-profile meetings and introductions.

• The client reports that the professionalism of their materials has helped to inspire confidence from partner organizations at the national and local levels.

• A variety of assets have allowed Vision Quilt to continue growing and building out their communications on a shoestring.

• People ages 4 through 92 have contributed to the project.

• We look forward to seeing Vision Quilt in our social media feeds each day, as the number of new panels increases along with press coverage of these events. Everyone is invited to share their voice, even you! To learn how, visit visionquilt.org

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CLIENT

Vision Quilt

SERVICES

Brand and message development

FOCUS

Health & Well-being

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“You helped us so much. We had artists, and great people with a lot of expertise on our core committee, but you went beyond where we were able to go. You listened to us very carefully to understand what we were about, and then you made strategic decisions about how to express that for us pictorally and verbally. We would still probably be trying to figure out the color and the logo and all of that, but that map just landed us. That was huge! I always want a program to be elegant, and what you created is elegant, and I think it really shows the wide net that we are casting.”

– Cathy DeForest, PhD, founder of Vision Quilt

Trinity Natural Medicine | A blend of healing modalities

A blend of healing modalities

Blue Marble consults with Chinese medicine practice to launch White Salmon Apothecary

When Dave Martin, owner and practitioner at Trinity Natural Medicine (TNM) and the White Salmon Apothecary (WSA), was first getting established, he recognized he needed help with several key aspects of launching a new business. In addition to seeing patients in his Chinese medicine practice, Martin was planning to carry and sell a wide selection of Chinese herbs to fill custom prescriptions for his clients and other practioners. Martin originally went to Blue Marble because he wanted help in producing his basic vision for a logo. What he didn't realize was how much BMC would be able to help him via our BluePrinting process to clarify and document many aspects of how his business would work.

RESULTS

• Martin received guidance and input as he refined his business strategy.

• A responsive website with well-structured content allowed the client to establish credibility and trust with the community.

• Being in the clinic is a sensory experience. A library of high quality image assets helps to show future patients and customers how it is to be treated in this environment, surrounded by rare Chinese herbs and Martin’s fine carpentry work.

• Martin’s mother happens to be a professional illustrator. Her illustrations are used in the logo for the apothecary.

• Branded client in-take forms, labels, and packaging for the herbal prescriptions from the apothecary ensure a complete and pleasant customer experience. This level of attention to detail is further demonstration of how TNM treats its clients.

Photos by: Amarett Illustration by: Laura Martin

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CLIENT

Trinity Natural Medicine

SERVICES

Brand and message development

Website design and development

Print and digital publication

Training and ongoing support

FOCUS

Health & Well-being

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OSU Extension Service | Passport to Happiness

Passport to Happiness

Creating a welcoming space for older adults

CHALLENGE

Backed by Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service, the Wasco County Network on Aging is a consortium of local agencies focused on exploring ways to improve the health and well being of older adults living in Wasco County, Oregon. The organization offers monthly educational events for seniors who want to learn ways to improve their health and happiness. With a desire to increase participation in these events, OSU approached Blue Marble for assistance.

INSIGHT

Blue Marble worked with OSU and Network staff to develop a campaign name, “Passport to Happiness,” and a brand identity that is light-hearted and energetic in tone. A key deliverable was a wall calendar that features healthy food recipes, tips on personal well-being, agency resources and a full schedule of events. We created large, custom illustrations and typography that would appeal to seniors and we incorporated professionally shot images of local residents involved in relevant activities. To encourage attendance at specific campaign-related events, we designed a passport card that participants could bring to events, have stamped, and then turn in for the chance to win prizes.  

RESULTS

Increased participation among key audience

• Custom illustration, typography and photography give the campaign materials a decidedly unique aesthetic that has resonated with participating seniors.
• The inaugural year of the Passport to Happiness program was so successful, the Network decided to extend into a second year.
• The Passport to Happiness materials has increased awareness of resources and services for older adults living in Wasco County and made learning about health and wellbeing topics more interesting and fun.

FORGING AHEAD

With a successful first year underway, the Network decided to continue the Passport to Happiness campaign and hired Blue Marble to create a new calendar for the second year of the campaign. While the new calendar featured fresh photography and content, we maintained its overall visual identity order to build upon the project’s growing visibility and strengthen brand awareness.

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CLIENT

Oregon State University

SERVICES

Brand and message development

Print and digital publication

FOCUS

Health & Well-being

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“I am thrilled with the response we received for the calendars. Our program kick-off was a big success. I think the folks that participate in these educational events over the next year will really enjoy themselves and have an opportunity to reflect on their happiness and improve their health.”

– Lauren Kraemer, Oregon State University Extension Service, Wasco County