The client
The Connecticut Justice Alliance (CTJA) is a youth-centered organization fighting to keep kids out of the legal system through advocacy, community organizing, and education.
Why this matters
Community disinvestment is a significant reason young people end up in the legal system. CTJA advocates for funding to go toward housing, healthcare, education, and proven alternatives to youth incarceration such as credible mentorship programs and mental health treatment.
CTJA is also close to the ground—key members of their team include people who have had firsthand experience with the youth legal system in the state. The organization helps close the distance between policymakers and the people their decisions most affect.
The project
After nearly 30 years and a name change, CTJA needed a new logo, look, website, and some fresh messaging.
Nothing about us without us
The CTJA team includes Justice Advisors—people who have had first- or second-hand experience with the youth legal system. We visited CT for an in-person brand workshop that included the Justice Advisors.
The brand was shaped by these conversations. “Nothing about us without us” speaks to the importance of including people who are close to the issue in the fight for youth justice.
A core element of the brand’s overall tone is grit—a word that embodies the bold & grassroots approach of the organization. Blurred effects on photos & the gothic font style used in the logo draw on ’90s hip hop album art, which is complemented by collage & DIY elements in the visual identity.
On us all
CTJA’s tagline came directly from its Executive Director, who said offhand that the well-being of young people in a given community is “on us all.” We thought it was a fitting encapsulation of CTJA’s underlying values. The words “On Us All” are subtly embedded in the logo.
In designing the logo, we avoided obvious justice symbolism, such as chains, shackles, or scales, because these don’t speak to the future-facing, freedom-oriented vibe of CTJA. Instead, we focused on resilience, hope, action, grit, and ingenuity.
To emphasize CTJA as powerful voice for young people, we drew a visual connection between the shape of the state of Connecticut and a speech bubble.
Speak up, show up
As a state-based organization, CTJA can engage people in issues that relate to their own families, neighbors, and communities. We created a minimalist homepage that puts the ongoing campaign the organization is running—a petition against a new locked facility for young people—front and center, along with a “take action” button.
As soon as someone lands on CTJA’s site, they’re presented with info about a local issue and ways they can get involved, either by speaking up, showing up, or donating.
The current campaign can be easily adjusted as legislative periods change. If getting people to testify for or against a bill is CTJA’s primary mission for a given period of time, they have the option to put that action front and center.
A design toolkit for the future
Like many clients we work with, CTJA is a small team. Given the limited capacity for professional photography or graphic design, we created a brand book that functions like a design toolkit, with how-tos on color combinations and working with low-res photos. We also created collage templates that non-designers can easily use.
Messaging guidelines focused on communicating with CTJA’s primary audience—CT community members, families, and young people—by drawing on shared values, providing key info, and opening up channels to action.
At CTJA’s request, the guidelines also include tips for speaking with people who might feel opposed to CTJA’s ideas, initially. We don’t believe in common enemies. We believe in shared goals. CTJA agreed—we worked together on a few strategies for inviting people into the movement by showing them that a more just system is on us all, and for us all.
