Lit

The Opportunity

Lit, an non-profit startup on a mission to ensure every kid, everywhere, is a reader, launched with a simple and scrappy brand identity. After two years of rapid growth, the organization sought to develop a more sophisticated visual identity that authentically reflected its mission, values, and story.

My Role

As Chief Content & Learning Officer, I led Lit’s 6-person startup team, reporting directly to the CEO/Founder. In my role as producer and project manager for the rebrand, I guided the project from ideation through design and launch. My responsibilities included sourcing a creative agency, overseeing asset production (logo design, copywriting, on-site photography), managing website design, and facilitating user testing pre-launch. Additionally, I developed style guides and design systems, training the internal team to ensure consistent, brand-aligned messaging and collateral post-launch.

I sourced our creative agency and oversaw asset production, including logo design, copywriting, and on-site photography. I managed website design and facilitated user testing prior to the site’s launch. I built style guides and corresponding design systems, and I trained Lit’s internal team on those systems to guarantee brand-aligned messaging and collateral post launch.

Creative Agency

To find a creative agency aligned with our values, I interviewed six agencies, compiling insights and presenting a comprehensive analysis to Lit’s CEO/Founder. We selected McCalman.co for their impressive portfolio and shared vision, confident in their ability to articulate our story effectively.

VISUAL Identity

We wanted the visual identity to contrast the dry, white collar aesthetic common across education and non-profit branding.

In collaboration with McCalman.co, we developed a brand identity that embodies Lit’s playful spirit and communicates the organization’s commitment to students and educators.

Because Lit is a service organization dedicated to work with people, Lit’s re-designed logo intentionally places a human at its center. The block-like characters are bold, playful, and charming; they speak to the sense of discovery we feel when we first learn how to read.

Though playful, we also knew Lit’s visual identity needed to speak to the beautiful urgency of work with kids in schools. We contracted photographer Kelly Marshall for a photoshoot with one of Lit’s school clients in Coney Island, Brooklyn. I organized and produced the photoshoot, ultimately selecting the final assets for use on Lit’s new website.

Website

As developers in the United Kingdom built our website, I collaborated with author Jeff Gordinier on copy for the site that would re-introduce Lit to the world and effectively tell our brand story.

Visit wearelit.org to read Jeff’s copy and see this project come to life.

Style Guides

Finally, I developed style guides and built user-friendly design systems in Canva and Google Workspace to help the team maintain brand alignment in their everyday work.

Upon launch, I trained the team on those guides and systems, leveraging Debbie Millman's words to invest an otherwise marketing agnostic team in branding’s power and potential.