Neuage.design
Reach Out Response Network (RORN) is a mental health advocacy organization looking to implement non-police crisis response teams in the city of Toronto. While volunteering for them, I expanded their logo into a concise brand, created posters, social posts, newsletters, and infographics to assist in achieving their goals.
If you are interested in supporting RORN, please visit their website reachouttoronto.ca to learn more.
Branding • Digital Design
RORN already had their logo, so I was asked to build a simple brand that would expand upon it. I referenced existing designs for colour and typography but focused on finding commonalities between everything. I then pulled together the best parts to make sure the pieces we made next would be improvements, but still related to previous designs for consistency.
Accessibility and inclusivity were critical for all the designs I worked on. I collaborated closely with the founders and volunteers to make sure we took the needs of Toronto’s many different communities into consideration. Amazingly, this led me to challenge my own existing biases and preconceived expectations when designing. Upon this realization, I started being more thorough in my work. I did extra research and had greater open dialogue about serious topics.
What I came up with was a bright, light brand for RORN. The colour palette is primarily vibrant with an added grey to act as a neutral. Ballinger was chosen for its legibility, readability, character, and versatility as a font. For layouts, I stuck with a clear hierarchy and strict alignment to make information easy to follow. I used arrows to represent growth and focus alongside free stock illustrations that were positive and diverse.
RORN was able to build it’s organization through implementing Advisory Panels and a Board of Directors. Through these groups’ efforts, the City of Toronto partnered with the organization and agreed to fund pilot programs throughout the city. Although plans for the programs have been deferred multiple times by City Council, RORN has conducted phone zaps with supporters to keep public voices heard.
You can read more about the current status of the crisis service pilots here.
Client • Reach Out Response Network Toronto
Date • November 2021
Logo & Website Design • Alex Sawatzky
Illustrations • Freepik (pch.vector, stories)
