Reimagining E FRY
visual branding & storytelling
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Toronto (Peel & Halton) has been helping women and girls in crisis for half a century. In 2022, the organization initiated a re-brand to show up in the community more authentically. The re-brand started with a new name: E FRY - Hope and Help for Women.
The Board and Executive Director entrusted WOKE to elevate E FRY's visual identity and develop a brand narrative that could effectively match its new name, ethos, values, and purpose.
our beginning
We kept the process simple, with four clearly identifiable stages to drive the redesign forward:
We spent the initial week gathering information about the organization's ecosystem and competitive landscape. We took time to evaluate the application and implications of the existing branding and collected feedback on our analysis to shape our recommendations.
OUR MIDDLE
To help the team visualize their branding possibilities, we showcased three creative directions, each unique to the other, visually expressing human-centred themes and E FRY's inspirations, tones, and sensibility. Presentation is critical – by demonstrating how these layers could come together to tell a story and influence a new logo and brand style, the Executive Leadership had the necessary information to achieve buy-in internally.
E FRY chose a direction rooted in strength and resilience and selected design features that evoke trust, dependability and calmness within others.
OUR END
Self-expression is a powerful tool. It helps us identify the people and organizations that align most with our values, interests and aspirations. In organizational storytelling, a narrative is a form of self-expression that creates space for deeper connection, allowing audiences to find themselves in a story shared by a collective.
E FRY had a mission and vision statement but needed language that made it possible for people to connect to their why – the driving force behind what they do and how they work.
brand narrative
ICONOGRAPHY
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We used concepts of internal strength and resilience to govern our design choices.
A hand-held lamp was applied as a wayfinding tool to symbolize hope – a guiding light for women and girls who have momentarily lost their way to find a safe path forward.
The flame represents internal strength and resilience, a human capability we can all unlock and share with others. It also expresses E FRY's passion for helping women and girls build the strength and resilience within themselves to navigate their lives better.
The female silhouette pulls the primary stakeholders into the core of E FRY's brand identity.
cOLOUR SCHEME
The palette was developed to elevate E FRY's story and echo the organization's non-threatening approach to rehabilitation, reinforcing the importance of creating safe experiences and spaces.
Neutral tones like the greyish blue helped ground the palette and serve as a reminder to support women and girls, regardless of how they self-identify, and men and boys when support is needed.
The seafoam allowed us to bridge the natural undertones and establish a sense of calm and clarity.
font style
Fonts are a vital branding tool. Our primary objective was to communicate that E FRY is an organization that is thoughtful, discerning, and noticeably different in its sensibility and approach. For these reasons, we chose Bitra and Myriad Pro.
Bitra is an elegant font that offers sophistication and style. We offset that maturity with a complimentary font that shared the organization's contemporary flare and versatility, making it clear it is a brand that is bold enough to change and tread new paths.
Storytelling remains one of the most effective tools for building brands, shaping culture, and driving change. With a new look and narrative, E FRY's brand is now a catalyst for social change.
We thank TwentyTwenty Designs for their creative partnership on this project.