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UpgradeInstead of using labels or generalities, TreeHouse is now equipped with a sharp and galvanizing way to talk about what they're going after: "to end hopelessness among teens."
The new TreeHouse brand identity strategically uses motion, dimension, and color in how it celebrates teens and illustrates the path from hopelessness to hope.
TreeHouse has experienced new highs in community engagement and fundraising momentum as both old and new donors have rallied around the new story and vision.
Grace Commons knew they wanted to keep serving Boulder, but they needed a simple and profound story to define, communicate, and launch that desire into a vision for the future, which is where we came in.
Through stakeholder interviews, strategic processing, and lots of iteration, we distilled the heartbeats of their many core truths—cornerstones rooted in history, community, and active Christian service—into one encapsulating phrase: "For Boulder, With Love." It is a story that captures the heart of who they are—a church that exists to nurture and love its city and the people who call it home—and it empowered them to galvanize a public mission to live into that renewed identity.
One of the core challenges in telling the Grace Commons story was that they lacked a cohesive way to communicate the distinctives of their mission and vision. A key phrase we developed — “being a gift to the city” — became a way to tell the story of what motivates them.
To anchor the creative direction in the church’s commitment to their city, we did a photo and video shoot in Boulder to capture authentic moments at the church and in the surrounding community.
We developed a unique, signature theme for Momentum Weekend that simultaneously spoke to the overarching vision and the the real-time growth of the movement on the ground.
With “Every home loved” as a cornerstone message in the brand, we focused on building it out with simple language and a visual tone that was low-pressure, friendly, and invitational. The outline of a home became a visual connection between the EncounterLife logo and the campaign vision.
We simplified Vivo's existing color palette to the simplicity of black and white accented with a vibrant green. We introduced multiple typefaces and shapes to create a sense of playful imagination in the brand. Like the meals they create, Vivo's new brand led with a sense of creativity unleashed before-your-eyes. We also built momentum around the hashtag #tastepossibility and social media ads as they generated excitement for their grand reopening.
Open Book created a new logo that embodies this refocused mission and story. Core to TreeHouse’s point of view is a belief that transformation is possible—and it happens from the inside out. So, we developed a logo that’s a nod to the growth rings of a tree, which develop over time, from the inside out. This rings also show the compounding impact of a transformed life on individuals, communities, and beyond.
We worked with Riverbridge to flesh out the story that surrounds "invest with endurance." It was important to highlight both the optimism and specificity of their approach. Their lead messaging now elevates their belief that what is true endures⏤in investments, people, and companies. Both visually and narratively, we positioned Riverbridge as builders. In a world where people are not experiencing superior returns on their investments because of shortsighted behaviors, Riverbridge is on a mission to invest with endurance.
We crafted a visual identity that represented the three-part strategy of new leaders, new churches, and new buildings—plus the most important part: YOU, represented by a red location pin. This was a strategic choice to underscore that Rise was about activating everyone into new service and outreach from right where they are. As a whole, the logo was also reminiscent of the four-square cross that had long been a feature at one of the Redeemer sites, as well as a grid of city blocks, since a neighborhood call to action was central to the campaign story.
The story we developed focuses on the core idea that life is not meant to be a series of disconnected dots. At the modern university, the issue of living a divided life can feel like the norm for people who see themselves as both academics and Christians. Faith and academics are seen as parallel at best—and, at worst, in opposition, But Anselm House is inspired by the Scripture that says, “In Christ, all things hold together.” We helped Anselm give voice to their grounding mission: "to connect faith and knowledge with all of life."
We helped Stony Brook crystallize that the kind of leadership vision they emphasize is the ability to "see beyond"—beyond information to application, beyond what's expedient to what is wise. Our storytelling captured Stony Brook's heart to raise up life-long learners who don’t just wait for answers but keep asking the right questions, leaders who transform information into insight, and citizens who approach their communities with eyes for the common good.
We assisted them in a renaming process, and together we landed on “Grace Commons,” a name that speaks to what the church—one of wide socioeconomic diversity—strives to be every day: a church where all people can experience God’s grace on common ground. To represent that refreshed identity, we developed a new general brand direction, which included fonts, colors, and a logo—all rooted in the natural imagery and tones found in the city of Boulder. Every element of the logo, from the system of roots to the evergreen tree, emphasizes Grace Commons’ commitment to love Boulder with a consistent presence of ministry and service.
The print storybook we created has become a cornerstone tool for staff, donors, and community members alike to be invited into the TreeHouse model and mission. We developed language that’s simple and sayable without selling short the complex realities of their work and the teen stories that propel them. TreeHouse is now equipped with an evergreen piece that reinforces who they are today and positions them for a future as national experts in ending hopelessness among teens.
A new streamlined website leads with the story and provides clear pathways to the tools and resources EncounterLife offers.
We built a website that invites visitors directly into the opportunity to invest with endurance, providing clear and efficient pathways to key information. The new site is a clean and modern shift from their old site, while also providing flexibility to build upon as they customize messaging to core constituents in the individual, institutional, and retail channels they seek to serve.
We created a straightforward website that featured the different dimensions of Vivo—dining, catering, and gathering spaces. The platform features Vivo’s story and vision, as well as visually sets the table for what guests can expect.
We created a robust Rise website that connected vision to action through streamlined content, photography, and resources. During the campaign, users also had a custom page where they could place a location pin, which allowed people to see engagement growing across the five boroughs of New York.
We designed the new TreeHouse website to be equally relevant to donors, volunteers, teens, and community members. We aimed to build a site that was simple to navigate while clearly telling the story of what TreeHouse does and the invitation it makes.
We created a new website to house their content, and to position Anselm House as not only a credible, academic resource for the University, but also as a community of prayer, shared meals, open discussions, and faithful presence.
We designed the new Grace Commons website to lead with an affirmation of love: “You are loved, by God and by us.” That message is woven throughout the entire site, which invites users into a robust expression of the church’s new core story and visual brand.
Still anchored by the overall brand identity, secondary pages invite users to explore program offerings, upcoming events, and opportunities to connect with the church community.
Open Book advocated for, and helped plan, a major kick-off event that generated 2,750 people in attendance. Attendees were not told that it was a launch event for a capital campaign, much less told the name Rise. Instead, we helped position it simple as an important night of vision-casting. Then, at the event, the Rise story, vision, video, and invitation were unveiled comprehensively. Nearly everyone in the room ended up walking forward that night to fill out a personal geo-marker card with their commitment to be part of the Rise campaign.
We developed overall event messaging and talking points for the lead speakers and communicators of the New York Project team. This involved finding both succinct soundbites and effective narratives that reinforced the big-picture vision at play while also illuminating specific metrics and reporting.
EncounterLife decided used the new brand story as a launchpad for a state-wide event for Colorado churches. We worked with them to name the event "We Love Colorado" and developed materials and custom packaging to serve as invitational outreach tools.
A restaurant needs a brand you can experience at every meal and every visit. We created menus, table signage, gift cards, and a 30-foot mural to surround the place in the feeling of possibility.
At the center of Grace Commons refreshed identity was a capital campaign to fund a new ministry center—a reimagined space for worship and community in the heart of Boulder. A multi-year, $8 million construction project, the building required robust financial support, but Grace Commons wanted the vision for the space to be about more than money. This was a campaign about loving Boulder.
To connect the capital campaign to the overall brand story of Grace Commons and communicate a focus on a shared vision of community support rather than fundraising, we suggested the name “For Boulder With Love.” Along with this effort to connect it to the core story, we wanted to give the campaign an individual identity, so we crafted a visual direction different from that of the church while still utilizing similar colors and fonts. Most prominently, the campaign features a logo that references both a gift tag and the shape of the historic church building—both elements working together to create a public-facing invitation into Grace Commons’ vision of ongoing giving to the Boulder community.
The campaign-launch event featured an interactive installation where every attendee signed their name on a card that said, “I am for Boulder with love.” All the cards were then hung from the lobby ceiling for anyone who walked through the front doors to see. The collection of brightly colored cards marked with the names of Boulderites committed to loving their city became a powerful community moment.
For the campaign website, we wanted to provide anyone interested in the church’s mission and vision with an engaging story of what it means to be for Boulder with love. Featuring campaign details, a vision video, and firsthand stories of unique ways Boulder locals give to their city, the website equips Grace Commons with a consistent tool to engage those interested in their mission to actively love Boulder.
Similar to its counterpart focused on the church itself, the Campaign Storybook acts as an invitation—an opportunity for stakeholders to help catalyze Grace Commons’ vision to love Boulder with a new Ministry Center.
To fill out the suite of multimedia creative materials that tell the story of Grace Commons and the “For Boulder With Love” campaign, we created a vision video. It begins with a question central to the church’s mission: What does it mean to love a city? Through a narrated story of deep, committed love for Boulder told over footage of local landscapes, city blocks, and community members, it answers that question and invites viewers to join Grace Commons in boldly loving the city of Boulder.
Instead of using labels or generalities, TreeHouse is now equipped with a sharp and galvanizing way to talk about what they're going after: "to end hopelessness among teens."
The new TreeHouse brand identity strategically uses motion, dimension, and color in how it celebrates teens and illustrates the path from hopelessness to hope.
TreeHouse has experienced new highs in community engagement and fundraising momentum as both old and new donors have rallied around the new story and vision.
For decades TreeHouse primarily relied on labels like "hurting, at-risk, troubled" for how they described the teens they served. We helped TreeHouse move away from this language toward a more honoring approach that talks about what teens are experiencing instead. The heart of that? Hopelessness. TreeHouse has long talked about the importance of hope—but it was a strategic shift to now name the reality of systemic and situational hopelessness that holds too many teens back. Hopelessness is also a reality people of all ages can relate to. "Ending hopelessness among teens" is now the heart of how TreeHouse is positioning themselves and connecting all audiences toward a common pursuit.
As a result of deep strategy and discernment, together we identified a single phrase to crystalize their heartbeat: “exploring the ideas that shape our lives.”
“Exploring” is a strategic word choice evoking dialogue based in curiosity, hospitality, and humility. While The Veritas Forum has a historic commitment to seeking truth, the word “ideas” helps them lead with language for the widest possible audience—regardless of a person's faith commitment. The emphasis on “shaping” evokes a deep wrestling with fundamental ideas that inform how we see the world and act in it. Finally, the phrase “our lives” re-emphasizes a sense of mutuality and underscores a willingness to be changed by the process. All together, the story strategy helps welcome a diverse audience into a shared experience of discovery.
The previous logo of The Veritas Forum included a maroon color to evoke their Harvard roots and a shield to reference academia. We modified these pieces that were meaningful from their previous brand and built a new wordmark with an embedded shield shaped by graduated lines. This new logo helps them brand media content with consistency as they grow their podcast and YouTube offerings. We also saw opportunity to add in a sense of growth and possibility, true to their belief how ideas shape and build people over time. All together, they are equipped with a refreshed visual identity that represents their historic roots while supporting their new story.
Because The Veritas Forum works with hundreds of university communities, their brand needs enough flexibility to represent a wide range of locations and audiences. We built a visual language that can be easily adapted with a clear sense of place to give each community a sense of recognition and ownership. The result is branding that helps express that national organization’s particular commitment to each local context.
With student teams around the country, The Veritas Forum is best served with a toolkit that is shareable and easy to update in real-time. The microsite we built educates their volunteers on the Veritas brand and provides the resources they need to develop programs on their campuses. This toolkit empowers Veritas leaders to translate the mission of the organization into their own contexts.
One of our core challenges was determining how to "show" hopelessness without objectifying or exploiting teen pain. A turning point came as we developed the concept of a tangled knot that could both personify pain and be used as a visual construct to illustrate the path to hope as the knot loosens. This has now become core imagery TreeHouse uses to help teens take ownership of what they're feeling and take steps forward. Overall, we worked to make TreeHouse’s new look youthful and fun, while maintaining a level of professionalism that donors can relate to. We used a photojournalism approach to photos, seeking to capture teens’ real emotions in natural environments.
As The Veritas Forum expanded, the organization outgrew its old website and its original use as a content library for recorded events. We partnered with them to design a new website with a vision-driven presentation of their new brand story, visual identity, and programs.
This deep-level update both helped The Veritas Forum move away from a content library and shaped new language around their re-structured program areas of campus dialogue, community formation, and content development. A new digital front door, the site integrates the brand story into every page, features new visual design supporting the story concept, and elevates the identity as a whole. Each page offers accessible and inviting doorways into deeper engagement with the mission of The Veritas Forum.
The print storybook we created has become a cornerstone tool for staff, donors, and community members alike to be invited into the TreeHouse model and mission. We developed language that’s simple and sayable without selling short the complex realities of their work and the teen stories that propel them. TreeHouse is now equipped with an evergreen piece that reinforces who they are today and positions them for a future as national experts in ending hopelessness among teens.
Open Book advocated for, and helped plan, a major kick-off event that generated 2,750 people in attendance. Attendees were not told that it was a launch event for a capital campaign, much less told the name Rise. Instead, we helped position it simple as an important night of vision-casting. Then, at the event, the Rise story, vision, video, and invitation were unveiled comprehensively. Nearly everyone in the room ended up walking forward that night to fill out a personal geo-marker card with their commitment to be part of the Rise campaign.
We developed overall event messaging and talking points for the lead speakers and communicators of the New York Project team. This involved finding both succinct soundbites and effective narratives that reinforced the big-picture vision at play while also illuminating specific metrics and reporting.
EncounterLife decided used the new brand story as a launchpad for a state-wide event for Colorado churches. We worked with them to name the event "We Love Colorado" and developed materials and custom packaging to serve as invitational outreach tools.
A restaurant needs a brand you can experience at every meal and every visit. We created menus, table signage, gift cards, and a 30-foot mural to surround the place in the feeling of possibility.
We created a vision video that leverages both animation and footage to be a rally cry for community and donor engagement. TreeHouse has used this video as a tentpole communication piece, from one-on-one partner meetings to fundraising events with 1000+ people in attendance.
As a wide-reaching organization, The Veritas Forum needs a variety of communication materials. We applied their new brand across platforms—from digital to print including social media assets, a conference micro-site, document templates, and more. With every touchpoint, a variety of stakeholders can be invited in, showing the flexibility of the brand across platforms.
Instead of using labels or generalities, TreeHouse is now equipped with a sharp and galvanizing way to talk about what they're going after: "to end hopelessness among teens."
The new TreeHouse brand identity strategically uses motion, dimension, and color in how it celebrates teens and illustrates the path from hopelessness to hope.
TreeHouse has experienced new highs in community engagement and fundraising momentum as both old and new donors have rallied around the new story and vision.
For decades TreeHouse primarily relied on labels like "hurting, at-risk, troubled" for how they described the teens they served. We helped TreeHouse move away from this language toward a more honoring approach that talks about what teens are experiencing instead. The heart of that? Hopelessness. TreeHouse has long talked about the importance of hope—but it was a strategic shift to now name the reality of systemic and situational hopelessness that holds too many teens back. Hopelessness is also a reality people of all ages can relate to. "Ending hopelessness among teens" is now the heart of how TreeHouse is positioning themselves and connecting all audiences toward a common pursuit.
We developed a unique, signature theme for Momentum Weekend that simultaneously spoke to the overarching vision and the the real-time growth of the movement on the ground.
With “Every home loved” as a cornerstone message in the brand, we focused on building it out with simple language and a visual tone that was low-pressure, friendly, and invitational. The outline of a home became a visual connection between the EncounterLife logo and the campaign vision.
We simplified Vivo's existing color palette to the simplicity of black and white accented with a vibrant green. We introduced multiple typefaces and shapes to create a sense of playful imagination in the brand. Like the meals they create, Vivo's new brand led with a sense of creativity unleashed before-your-eyes. We also built momentum around the hashtag #tastepossibility and social media ads as they generated excitement for their grand reopening.
Open Book created a new logo that embodies this refocused mission and story. Core to TreeHouse’s point of view is a belief that transformation is possible—and it happens from the inside out. So, we developed a logo that’s a nod to the growth rings of a tree, which develop over time, from the inside out. This rings also show the compounding impact of a transformed life on individuals, communities, and beyond.
We worked with Riverbridge to flesh out the story that surrounds "invest with endurance." It was important to highlight both the optimism and specificity of their approach. Their lead messaging now elevates their belief that what is true endures⏤in investments, people, and companies. Both visually and narratively, we positioned Riverbridge as builders. In a world where people are not experiencing superior returns on their investments because of shortsighted behaviors, Riverbridge is on a mission to invest with endurance.
We crafted a visual identity that represented the three-part strategy of new leaders, new churches, and new buildings—plus the most important part: YOU, represented by a red location pin. This was a strategic choice to underscore that Rise was about activating everyone into new service and outreach from right where they are. As a whole, the logo was also reminiscent of the four-square cross that had long been a feature at one of the Redeemer sites, as well as a grid of city blocks, since a neighborhood call to action was central to the campaign story.
The story we developed focuses on the core idea that life is not meant to be a series of disconnected dots. At the modern university, the issue of living a divided life can feel like the norm for people who see themselves as both academics and Christians. Faith and academics are seen as parallel at best—and, at worst, in opposition, But Anselm House is inspired by the Scripture that says, “In Christ, all things hold together.” We helped Anselm give voice to their grounding mission: "to connect faith and knowledge with all of life."
We helped Stony Brook crystallize that the kind of leadership vision they emphasize is the ability to "see beyond"—beyond information to application, beyond what's expedient to what is wise. Our storytelling captured Stony Brook's heart to raise up life-long learners who don’t just wait for answers but keep asking the right questions, leaders who transform information into insight, and citizens who approach their communities with eyes for the common good.
One of our core challenges was determining how to "show" hopelessness without objectifying or exploiting teen pain. A turning point came as we developed the concept of a tangled knot that could both personify pain and be used as a visual construct to illustrate the path to hope as the knot loosens. This has now become core imagery TreeHouse uses to help teens take ownership of what they're feeling and take steps forward. Overall, we worked to make TreeHouse’s new look youthful and fun, while maintaining a level of professionalism that donors can relate to. We used a photojournalism approach to photos, seeking to capture teens’ real emotions in natural environments.
A new streamlined website leads with the story and provides clear pathways to the tools and resources EncounterLife offers.
We built a website that invites visitors directly into the opportunity to invest with endurance, providing clear and efficient pathways to key information. The new site is a clean and modern shift from their old site, while also providing flexibility to build upon as they customize messaging to core constituents in the individual, institutional, and retail channels they seek to serve.
We created a straightforward website that featured the different dimensions of Vivo—dining, catering, and gathering spaces. The platform features Vivo’s story and vision, as well as visually sets the table for what guests can expect.
We created a robust Rise website that connected vision to action through streamlined content, photography, and resources. During the campaign, users also had a custom page where they could place a location pin, which allowed people to see engagement growing across the five boroughs of New York.
We designed the new TreeHouse website to be equally relevant to donors, volunteers, teens, and community members. We aimed to build a site that was simple to navigate while clearly telling the story of what TreeHouse does and the invitation it makes.
We created a new website to house their content, and to position Anselm House as not only a credible, academic resource for the University, but also as a community of prayer, shared meals, open discussions, and faithful presence.
The print storybook we created has become a cornerstone tool for staff, donors, and community members alike to be invited into the TreeHouse model and mission. We developed language that’s simple and sayable without selling short the complex realities of their work and the teen stories that propel them. TreeHouse is now equipped with an evergreen piece that reinforces who they are today and positions them for a future as national experts in ending hopelessness among teens.
Open Book advocated for, and helped plan, a major kick-off event that generated 2,750 people in attendance. Attendees were not told that it was a launch event for a capital campaign, much less told the name Rise. Instead, we helped position it simple as an important night of vision-casting. Then, at the event, the Rise story, vision, video, and invitation were unveiled comprehensively. Nearly everyone in the room ended up walking forward that night to fill out a personal geo-marker card with their commitment to be part of the Rise campaign.
We developed overall event messaging and talking points for the lead speakers and communicators of the New York Project team. This involved finding both succinct soundbites and effective narratives that reinforced the big-picture vision at play while also illuminating specific metrics and reporting.
EncounterLife decided used the new brand story as a launchpad for a state-wide event for Colorado churches. We worked with them to name the event "We Love Colorado" and developed materials and custom packaging to serve as invitational outreach tools.
A restaurant needs a brand you can experience at every meal and every visit. We created menus, table signage, gift cards, and a 30-foot mural to surround the place in the feeling of possibility.
We created a vision video that leverages both animation and footage to be a rally cry for community and donor engagement. TreeHouse has used this video as a tentpole communication piece, from one-on-one partner meetings to fundraising events with 1000+ people in attendance.
TIM CLARK, CEO
