Historic House Trust Brand

Historic House Trust of New York City​

 

The Historic House Trust is team of historic preservation experts and enthusiasts that believe the structural integrity of historic buildings is the foundation of telling New York’s story. As their Communications and Administrative Coordinator, I developed the organization's narrative and brand identity documents as they shifted in their approach to their partnerships.

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We started by identifying the unique opportunities the Historic House Trust offers its donors and partners, brand statements, values and mission, nonprofit pillars, and the nonprofit tagline. The pillars identified were:

• Partner-Defined Stewardship:

• Innovation Through Preservation: 

• Caring for Culture

• Facilitators and Communicators

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By first understanding the core organizational narrative and mission, we could then make decisions regarding branding and marketing. Although their logo uses Century Schoolbook and Sackers Gothic, it wasn't likely that the organization could buy these outright or provide Adobe products for all staff. As an alternative, I chose Playfair Display and Nunito, as they felt similarly modern, yet still inspired by history, and are available on Canva which provides free premium memberships to nonprofits. 

 

The color scheme selected for the organization reflects the New York Parks landscape: water, greenery, and historic brick buildings. These pops of colors are often complimented by black and white imagery of historic places and architectural drawings.

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By developing both the narrative and brand guidelines, we could now understand the voice and content that would communicate the Historic House Trust mission. Communications and Administrative Coordinator, I strategized and made content for social media, email newsletters, and development campaigns.