The New York Asian's Women Center (NYAWC) recently reaffirmed its commitment to 'Guiding Women from a World of Hurt to One of Kindness' by changing its name to Womankind. "Womankind signifies universal values of equality, fairness, justice and compassion," explained Karen Elizaga, Board Chair, Womankind. "It allows us to position our work as equally relevant to a broader audience, strengthening our advocacy for women and other survivors of violence."
The conversations over a new identity began last April, when NYAWC reached out to Alan Siegel, founder of Siegelvision, to discuss working together to elevate the visibility and impact of NYAWC's brand identity. Before they could get there, though, NYAWC needed to address a much more pressing concern: what was their identity?
Fortunately for Womankind, that is the question Siegelvision excels at answering. "It became clear that the old New York Asian Women's Center had outgrown its original mission, vision and name. The effective model they had created was being shared far outside of the New York community," said Alan Siegel. "Today, women and children from all walks of life and ethnicities rely on their expertise in dealing with the trauma of domestic and gender-based violence and human trafficking. Lastly, they were now much more than a center or a storefront -they are the leaders of a movement. It was time to embrace a new identity that reflects their growth and the importance of their work."
Immersive Research Develops Narrative
Siegelvision's meticulous, immersive research helped them develop a narrative that would portray NYAWC as a leading provider of supportive services for women living in violence through their embrace of a personal, holistic approach to therapy. Conversations revealed a mission to provide a place of healing for all Womankind. Dan Sheehan, Siegelvision's group creative director, worked on a purpose statement that would embody NYAWC's noble mission. "Guiding women from a world of hurt to one of kindness" did just that, in a powerfully concise and optimistic way.
As an organization that has increasingly supported women from all backgrounds in theory and practice, NYAWC needed a new name to affirm its new identity. Siegelvision recommended Womankind - a familiar word that projects inclusivity, compassion and kindness. The legal difficulties in securing the perfect name seemed a nearly insurmountable task, but in the end, Siegelvision strategist Noam Freshman's diligent work with lawyers paid off and Womankind was born.
Typeface Inspired by Beyoncé
"We opted for a new typeface, inspired by Beyoncé, a strong, bold, powerful woman. We chose to keep the recognizable 'phoenix' symbol as a perfect illustration of their new tagline, 'rise above violence,'" said Frank Liu, Siegelvision's chief creative officer. "The color palette includes gradients of yellow and orange, which represent 'hope,' as well as purple, the universal color representing domestic violence. Finally, by visually separating the words 'woman' and 'kind,' we added emphasis to the double meaning of the word 'kind,'" added Liu.
To raise awareness of Womankind's newly clarified identity, Siegelvision created the "I AM WOMANKIND" campaign. "Our photoshoots included people of all genders, nationalities and identities, looking straight into the camera as a declaration of their independence and power, wearing newly designed t-shirts to further spread the message, 'WE ARE ALL WOMANKIND," Alan Siegel explained. In the wake of recent elections, Womankind t-shirts have been put to good use by activists at events across the country.