Bending the arc of the moral universe towards justice
The Knight Family Foundation has been an active and generous benefactor within the Chicago philanthropic community. Their mission and vision stand at the intersection of humanity and justice.
Given that there are several high profile foundations with Knight in the name, it was important to provide a point of differentiation. There is also a perception that the word foundation is dated and passive, when nothing could be further from the truth. Our challenge was to rename and rebrand the organization with a more forward thinking and evergreen name that would be the launching pad for a powerful new brand image for their efforts.
Brand Vision
Substance came up with the name Knight Impact Partners. It retains the family name and legacy but places the emphasis squarely on impact. We developed the tagline “Investing in humanity” to underscore the family commitment to giving that has an ROI for humanity: literally investing in it.
There is a wonderful quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that says “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”. This was the inspiration for the symbol and the two arcs that follow the vertical blue bar. They read as not only a K letterform, they also suggest movement and a shift in direction.
We needed a new name and brand that would guide our work into the future. Substance delivered. They listened carefully to our feedback, and curated their efforts accordingly, making this a true partnership. The results are terrific and we’re thrilled to being implementing the brand.
