Building a Brand to Reflect a Mission

GovMVMT is a national cooperative purchasing program founded in 2020 to serve public agencies and nonprofits. While its mission was clear—to bring collective purchasing power to governments and nonprofits to make taxpayer dollars go further—its visual identity needed to fully capture its core values and differentiate it in the government and nonprofit sector.

The objective was to develop a cohesive brand identity that would ensure a "consistent visual and emotional representation" across all materials. The new brand needed to be authoritative yet approachable, reflecting the organization's commitment to integrity, public service, and community while setting it apart from competitors.

A Strategic and Comprehensive Rebrand

A new brand identity was developed to influence the perception of the organization by representing its ethos, values, and personality. This identity was built around a modernized, balanced, and accessible design system

Brand Identity System

• Logo: The new GovMVMT logo was designed to be the most recognizable brand asset. It symbolizes unity, trust, and public service by incorporating elements of government architecture with figures of people in the negative space. Strict guidelines were established for its use, including clearspace defined by the "o" in the wordmark, minimum sizing for legibility (210px wide for the full logo), and color usage. The wordmark is never to be used on its own, preserving the integrity of the full logo lockup.

• Color Palette: The color palette was strategically chosen to "modernize the GovMVMT brand" and "differentiate from government and nonprofit norms".

  • Dark Green was introduced as a grounding color to symbolize trust and growth.

  • Cerulean, the brand's original blue, was retained for key highlights and calls-to-action, creating continuity.

  • Chambray acts as a contemporary neutral to balance the palette.

  • Black and White provide clarity and contrast. The color pairings were selected to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA or AAA accessibility requirements in most cases.

• Typography: A dual-typeface system was created to balance heritage with accessibility.

  • Sentient serves as the primary brand typeface, nodding to the formal typefaces seen in government documents to reinforce professionalism.

  • Satoshi, a geometric sans-serif, is the general typeface, chosen for its clarity and modern feel in everyday communications like presentations and body text.

  • System fonts Georgia and Helvetica were designated as fallbacks to maintain brand integrity when the primary fonts are unavailable.

Photography & Iconography: Photography guidelines focus on authentic moments that show public services in action, emphasizing connection and community. For iconography, the brand leverages the Font Awesome 7 Pro Light library, whose thin line style complements the new brand aesthetic for consistency and versatility.

Visual Elements: To reinforce GovMVMT's role as a connector, unique visual elements were created. "Connecting lines" represent the convergence of agencies and suppliers, while "dog-eared containers" reference official documents to frame and highlight key content.

Website Redesign & Development

The new website brings the modernized brand identity to life in a digital format. Based on images in the brand guide, the redesign features a clean, contemporary layout that implements the new brand system effectively.

Development focused on translating the brand guidelines into a functional digital experience. This included implementing the specified web font stacks ("Sentient, Georgia, serif" and "Satoshi, Helvetica, sans-serif") and integrating the Font Awesome icon library. Photo treatments, such as dark green or chambray overlays, were applied to create a cohesive visual tone and ensure text legibility over images.

A Unified Brand for the Future

The project culminated in the launch of a revitalized GovMVMT brand and a new website, supported by the comprehensive brand guidelines document. This guide empowers all staff, designers, and salespersons to protect and amplify the brand, ensuring consistency across every public-facing product.

The impact of the rebrand is a clear and compelling identity that:

• Adds Value: The new brand adds value to the organization and sets it apart from competitors

• Builds Trust: It strengthens GovMVMT's image as a symbol of integrity, transparency, and public service, helping to build trust and opportunity

• Modernizes Perception: The visual system establishes a modern, differentiated identity while preserving a connection to GovMVMT's origins, creating both continuity and forward momentum

• Communicates Core Values: The new brand identity successfully represents the ethos and core values—such as Integrity, Quality, Community, and Public Service—that guide the organization's work