The Arc, among the 10 largest charitable organizations in the US, launches a dynamic new brand today in its efforts to build upon a 60-year history of promoting and protecting the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The launch of The Arc's new brand coincides with the beginning of National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
CoreBrand was commissioned to create the new brand for The Arc with the goal of building a collective voice across the chapter network that comprises this powerful organization. The new brand will serve as the platform for the organization's most comprehensive communications initiative in its history, including a PSA campaign.
The new brand campaign will be further supported by a series of mini-documentary video profiles of self-advocates and families with I/DD. These videos are available at The Arc's national website, as well as on chapter sites and other online outlets. The new tagline, "Achieve with us," was developed by CoreBrand.
With 700+ state and local chapters, The Arc is the nation's largest and oldest organization working with and advocating for people with I/DD. Throughout its history, The Arc has been a leading voice promoting inclusion and opportunity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In communities across the country, The Arc offers vital resources for families and self-advocates with I/DD at all life stages. "Achieve with us" was born from this history of creating opportunity and enabling achievement.
"This is an exciting time in The Arc's history," said Peter V. Berns, CEO of The Arc. "Our powerful, new, shared identify reflects the energy and the action of our organization working to transform the lives of people with I/DD. Our work with CoreBrand further powers these efforts as we continue to serve and support people with I/DD and their families."
While services do vary from chapter to chapter, themes of hope, opportunity and achievement are common across all affiliated organizations. Despite these commonalities, The Arc's communication strategy has long been challenged by the absence of a common set of phrases or descriptors to help members or chapters and advocates to quickly express the promise of the organization to potential partners, donors and volunteers.
"As we began to work with The Arc last year, it quickly became apparent this organization was a diamond in the rough. Here is an organization with a 60-year history of passion, leadership and impact on Capitol Hill and across the country; a vibrant organization doing great and meaningful work; an organization committed to powerful ideals of hope and opportunity," said Jonathan Paisner, Brand Director at CoreBrand. "The new brand developed for The Arc emerged through a highly inclusive process which invited input from leaders at all levels of the organization. This new brand captures the promise and the energy to help The Arc tell its inspiring story to members, partners, donors and the general public."
Embracing, Energized Logo
The Arc's new logo reflects the organization's embracing nature, while the burst of energy at the top right symbolizes both the spark of individuality and how The Arc fosters independence. To support the consistent implementation of the new mark and visual identity system, CoreBrand has created a robust set of guidelines and templates to be used to help the hundreds of chapters share a common look and feel across media channels. Brand guidelines also included strong messaging guidance to make it easier for chapters around the country to communicate consistently about The Arc.