Alchemist CDC's New Logo

On Sunday, October 20, at our 20th Anniversary Celebration, we debuted our new organizational logo. After a months-long re-branding process led by Elizabeth Wight Graphic Design, we are so pleased to debut our new visual identity. As you can see, our visual branding features a bold palette of colors, unique typography, and a monarch butterfly chrysalis. We are confident that this new logo captures the concepts, emotions, and thoughtful responses provided by dozens of stakeholders and community members over the course of this year.
“What is the significance of this new logo?”
Our vision statement says that we are working toward a future in which every neighborhood is healthy, equitable, vibrant, and diverse. The colors in this new branding—drawn from the palettes that show up again and again in folk art around the globe—communicate vibrancy, diversity, and inclusion. The chrysalis suggests health in the sense of a healthy ecosystem.
Moreover, the transformation that takes place in a chrysalis is clearly life-changing for the caterpillar, but the end result isn’t just good for that one creature. When it emerges as a butterfly, it not only shares its beauty with the world around it, but also becomes a pollinator. This means helping plants to reproduce so that they can provide sustenance and shelter for other animals and strengthen the health of the entire ecosystem. In the same way, when our work helps a family to enjoy nutritious meals or a new food business to grow and thrive, the impact ripples throughout the region and into the future. The individual transformation brings fruitfulness and abundance to the whole community.
And finally, we want to touch on the uniqueness of this identity. While butterflies are certainly common in branding—and they will show up in ours as well—it is significant that our primary logo as an organization focuses not on the mature butterfly but on the beautiful but awkward pupa stage. Butterflies are beautiful and inspiring and communicate completed transformation.
With the chrysalis, we are choosing to align ourselves with the messy middle where transformation and growth take place. Those who are impacted by our work will go on to be more fully themselves, flying free, doing good work across the community. We love that and are working toward that vision, but we especially want to celebrate the difficult and hidden work that makes that transformation possible.
“Why are you changing from the old logo?”
The classic Alchemist logo has done great work for us over the past 20 years. We have consistently found that those who have spent the most time with the logo grow to love it. It was created thoughtfully by combining the alchemical symbol for the sun and gold with an Egyptian symbol for the village. While this logo provided a unique and interesting level of meaning, we have found that it is rare that this meaning is clear to those encountering our logo for the first time. When a person first encounters our organization, neither our name nor our logo is able to give them a sense of what we do.
Those who first hear the name Alchemist tend to wonder what that is supposed to mean. Alchemy always suggests transformation, but what sort of transformation? Are we fixated on turning lead into gold? No. Are we trying to impose changes in communities from the top down? No.
Now when people ask what sort of alchemy we do, we can point to our logo and say, “this kind.” The transformation we are working toward is the kind of metamorphosis you find in a chrysalis. It’s the process of developing into the next stage of life, which is natural to that caterpillar if it has the resources that it needs. It is the transformation:
- experienced by vulnerable families when they receive consistent grocery deliveries that allow them to plan ahead beyond their next meal;
- of parking lots into farmers’ markets that are accessible and affordable to all;
- of vacant lots into gardens and farms that can nourish the body and soul;
- of dreamers into doers as they start new food businesses.
We honor the history of our classic logo, but look forward to a new chapter of vibrancy and clarity of purpose in our branding.
“I still see your old logo on some of your materials. Why?”
With 20 years of history and multiple program areas, we have a great deal of material to align with our new visual branding. Sharing this new logo is the beginning of a new chapter of a months-long process with Elizabeth Wight Graphic Design. That process will update the branding on our website, social media, letterheads, email signatures, business cards, signage, print materials, and more. We are also developing new sub-branding for various projects and programs, a first for our organization. We appreciate your patience as we go through a messy process, not unlike the chrysalis.
“Do you have any merchandise with the new logo?”
We will soon! Knowing we were going to rework our visual branding, we have held off on branding hats, totes, sweatshirts, t-shirts, etc., for more than a year. We look forward to releasing merchandise that will show your support and partnership in our work connecting communities to land, food, and opportunity.
“My organization would like to help you roll out branded apparel to your staff and volunteers. How can I help?”
What a kind offer! We look forward to finally providing our staff and volunteers with branded hats, hoodies, t-shirts, aprons, and more in the coming months but the costs are significant. If you or your organization are looking for a creative and impactful way to help us, funds given specifically for this purpose would be so impactful.
“What was the process for rebranding?”
Elizabeth Wight Graphic Design led us through a deeply collaborative process that began with a fun, short survey that asked for feedback on the classic Alchemist visual branding; on the way people perceive Alchemist as an organization; about the hopes people have for the organization in the future; and different aesthetic styles, themes, colors, and more. Dozens of staff, volunteers, board members, funders, community partners, Alchemist Kitchen Incubator participants, and more provided input through this process.
The results of the survey were shared by Elizabeth Wight Graphic Design in two large meetings and used as a starting point for conversation, brainstorming, free association, and more. After collecting so much input from those who know Alchemist from different angles, Elizabeth Wight worked through various concepts before presenting the colorful chrysalis logo as the culmination of the process. We were grateful that this unique collaborative approach welcomed real involvement from so many people who care about the organization.
“I need branding or graphic design work and would love to contract someone who has given so much pro bono assistance to Alchemist. How do I reach them?”
You can reach Elizabeth via email at elizabeth@wight.consulting or follow her on Instagram at @elizabethwightdesign