Arthur Vining Davis Foundations

Investing in Our Common Future

The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations sought a new identity that was clear, modern, and forward-looking without losing connection to their rich history. Our solution was a comprehensive brand strategy and modern web design.

Services

Brand Strategy, Brand Messaging, Logo Design, Visual Identity, Marketing Collateral, Web Strategy, Web Design, Web Development 

Problem

The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (AVDF), founded in 1952, faced the challenge of honoring their legacy while modernizing for the future. Their evolution had outpaced their messaging and visual identity, leading to a perception that the brand was "stodgy" and unfocused.

Our Approach

We dug deep into the real issues at hand to craft a strategic plan and recommend the best path forward. After learning all about AVDF and what they stand for, we created a comprehensive, authentic brand identity. With a new brand comes a new website, and for AVDF, that means a site that is equally practical and visually engaging.

Higher Education building for Arthur Vining Davis Foundations Website Design
01

A New Brand Strategy

After years of growth, AVDF reached an inflection point where they needed a revitalized brand strategy to support the Foundation into the future. Our discovery process unearthed notable opportunities for the brand and laid the groundwork for the new visual identity and messaging playbook.

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AVDF-sketching-foundation-website

To resonate with AVDF’s diverse audiences, we got to know each unique segment

We documented everything that drives key audiences to engage with AVDF, including financial, emotional, social, and functional motivations. A deep understanding of the various target markets was vital to the success of the new brand strategy.

From there, we uncovered a diverse list of funding areas that didn’t appear to be organized by a central brand vision. We helped the Foundations clarify their funding areas around the new brand tagline “Investing in our common future.”

 

User profiles for Arthur Vining Davis foundation website design on Mobile
Push10 Team sketching sitemap for Arthur Vining Davis foundations website design
02

Designing a New Brand Identity

What makes a brand? It’s not the logo, not the mission statement, not the pretty marketing collateral – it’s a reputation, supported by a combination of all these important elements. AVDF’s new brand identity takes its strong reputation and enhances it for today’s ever-evolving world. We built their new identity via an updated brand definition, new logo design, and a comprehensive visual identity system.

Arthur Vining Davis Foundation magazine cover designs
Tagline for Arthur Vining Davis Foundations website design
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Arthur Vining Davis Foundation business card stationary design
Arthur Vining Davis foundation brand style guide
Font selection for Arthur Vining Davis foundations brand design

01

Editor

This bold yet somewhat traditional font has a modern feel, yet fits nicely with AVDF’s storied mission.

Font selection for Arthur Vining Davis foundations brand design

02

Poppins

This san serif font adds balance to AVDF’s suite of typefaces and serves as a clean and readable choice for body text.

Gold

#ba9054

Coral

#e45d42

Blue

#005d9f

Gray

#a39f9b

Cool White

#e7eadb

03

Outlining the UX Strategy

With the brand identity clearly defined, our next step was to translate that vision into a seamless online experience.

Elegant UX is the art of serving specific users the right website content at the right time. We set out to achieve this for AVDF’s new site by starting with user journeys.

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AVDF-foundation-higher-education-funding

Establishing the ideal user journey starts here.

We collaborated with the AVDF team to chart the specific journey that each of their audience personas must take to achieve stated goals on the new site. Ironically, this structured exercise allowed us to think outside the box, coming up with new ways to engage, delight, and reduce friction on the website.

Arthur Vining Davis Foundation user buyer journey design on tablet
Arthur Vining Davis Foundation Higher Education Funding Building
AVDF-foundation-website-sitemap

Putting the pieces together.

We developed a new direction for AVDF’s sitemap that put the user’s needs first. By clarifying the main navigation and elevating past grantees to highlight AVDF’s impact, we created an experience that told the story of the organization while pragmatically making important information easy to access.

Arthur Vining Davis foundation website design sitemap on mobile phone
04

Website Design

The new website combines micro-animations, sophisticated photography, and a rich color palette to create an ideal digital experience. Visitors are able to learn more about the organization and discover ways to engage – whether that's applying for a grant, learning about funded research, or reaching out about partnership opportunities. The site serves as a bold introduction to AVDF’s new brand identity and positions the organization for continued success.

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Arthur Vining Davis foundations website design page layouts
Arthur Vining Davis foundation Interfaith Leadership and Religious Literacy Program
Arthur Vining Davis foundation website design data impact statistics
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AVDF-foundation-website-design-applying-for-a-grant

A Simplified Grant Application Page

The new Grant Application page, the single most important page for conversions, became the second highest trafficked page on the site.

Arthur Vining Davis foundation apply for a grant page desktop web design
Arthur Vining Davis foundation team applying for a grant

Push10 helped us to create and launch our new brand. In addition, they designed a new website that is beautiful, functional, and user friendly, and that provides applicants and grantees the information they need. We were extremely pleased with Push10’s vision, creativity, and execution.

The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations

Michael Murray, President

VISIT THE WEBSITE

Instant Impact

7%

Increase in overall page views

15%

Increase in average time on page

10.5%

Increase in organic search traffic