Youth Empowerment Project

Building a Shared Identity for Youth Empowerment Project

The Youth Empowerment Project had developed a strong reputation within the community, but its brand lacked the cohesion needed to represent the breadth of its programs and impact. The challenge was to create an identity that could bring together diverse initiatives under a single, memorable brand while remaining authentic to the young people at the center of the organization's mission.

I co-led the redesign of the organization's identity, transforming it into the iconic "YEP" brand that became synonymous with the organization's work throughout New Orleans. Working across strategy, naming, design, and implementation, I created a flexible brand system that could be adopted across programs, campaigns, events, and physical spaces.

The resulting identity extended far beyond traditional branding materials. From storefront signage and festival banners to presentation systems, vehicle graphics, merchandise, and youth-created promotional materials, the brand became a visible expression of the organization's mission and community presence.

Through YEP Design Works, a design apprenticeship program I co-created, our youth design studio worked on dozens of real client projects. During one of our more notable projects, I led the creative direction of a custom pair of game-day cleats for New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan as part of the NFL's "My Cause My Cleats" initiative. Designed and airbrushed by student apprentices, the project provided young creatives with the opportunity to contribute to a nationally recognized campaign while helping raise awareness and support for the organization's mission.

More than a visual identity, my partnership with YEP established a long-term platform for storytelling, advocacy, and youth engagement. By creating opportunities for young designers to contribute to real-world campaigns, public artwork, and nationally recognized initiatives, the brand became both a communications tool and a vehicle for creative workforce development.

YEP Brand Identity - 2017 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Fleurish Award Winner