The Catalyst Grants Program is TACA’s largest granting program. Catalyst Grants are designed to be just that — a catalyst in strengthening Dallas’ vibrant arts community and to support art that is also a catalyst for positive impact and transformation. This program provide unrestricted funding to non-profit arts organizations in Dallas County to use as they see fit on an array of expenses including program costs, salaries, administration, office expenses, technology, or to meet other operational needs.
A Visual Identity for Lasting Change
I was approached by TACA to assist in creating a brand identity for their latest grant program, Catalyst Grants. The main initiative was to target younger artists/generations in an effort to encourage their applications whereas the secondary initiative was to target a broader audience range versus just an upper-class audience. This was all done through sleek, sensible, and relatable design language that includes ad layouts, imagery styles, logo system, seal/watermarks, typography & a style guide. Overall, the visual identity was created to communicate a sense of positive lasting change — hence the domino effect in the logo — that will ultimately touch the Dallas arts community in a meaningful and impactful way. A style guide and native assets were provided to the non-profit for handoff to an agency partner who would handle additional creative down the line.
Take a look at the branding directions that were developed for seeing this project through from conception to execution. We ultimately went with the Professionally Vibrant direction as it looks to bold shapes and simple color to convey a sense of humanity with a touch of order. This direction is also visually striking as it calls attention to detail and sturdy forms. The overall simplicity relates to Catalyst as it communicates the program’s mission in a manner that is elegantly innovative and humbly timeless. This project took several months of planning, meetings, revising, and implementing.
Credits
Creative Director & Communication Designer: Mark Baker-Sanchez
Project Assistant & Support: Will Braithwaite, Marketing Manager, Jun Group
Director of Marketing, TACA: Cameron Kirkpatrick