How a nutrition program got a brand of its own, without leaving the family

Challenge

The Yukon First Nation Education Directorate works to strengthen First Nation decision-making in education and support First Nation students. Its Nutrition Program, funded through Jordan’s Principle, makes sure Yukon’s Indigenous children have access to healthy food through in-school meals, food hampers and family feasts. The program needed a logo of its own, one that would appeal to a wide age range and still read clearly as part of YFNED.

Solution

We built the mark around dried salmon, a symbol of wealth and trade that carries deep meaning in Indigenous culture and identity. The colour palette draws on berries, water and the night sky, and sits comfortably beside YFNED’s primary brand colours, so the program stands on its own without ever looking like a stranger. We also designed a brochure, pop-up banners, window decals, letterhead, promotional merchandise and posters to get the word out.

Results

From a window decal to a poster in a school hallway, the salmon says nutrition and the palette says YFNED, and families read both at once. The program has a face of its own that never leaves the family.