IFAW turns 50 and unveils new brand identity

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) —a global animal welfare and conservation non-profit organization—unveils its bold new brand, including a new logo and website.

These changes come at a critical moment when awareness and action, from both experts and everyday people, is critical to save animals, people and the planet.

“Humans make up less than one percent of all life on earth, but we have destroyed 83 percent of all wild animals and half of plants on the planet,” said Azzedine Downes, President and CEO of IFAW.

Downes said that they remain hopeful adding that every species and every habitat has the ability to bounce back, and every person, everywhere has the chance to act. The future depends on what we do now.”

Fifty years ago, IFAW took on one problem that threatened one species in one part of the world.

With the European ban on white coat harp seal products in 1983, it saved more than 1 million seal pups. Since then, IFAW has taken on more problems threatening more species in more than 40 countries.

As the challenges animals and their habitats face have grown larger and more complex, so has IFAW’s approach.

In Kenya and India, for instance, the organization is employing new and innovative ways to take on poachers.

It’s partnering with technology companies to reduce wildlife crime online. It’s working with scientists to develop new methods to rescue whales who get entangled in fishing gear. And it’s creating networks worldwide to help rescue animals during and after natural disasters. In short, IFAW isn’t afraid to get creative.

“Our biggest challenge has been not doing the work but talking about it. We were finding it hard to convey why saving one elephant is important to a person who lives in a city of more than 9 million. Or how drone technology could be used to help save marine mammals. Or how detection dogs can help us save koalas,” said Downes.

Downes said that at the same time, it’s clear to us that people care and they want to help. So, I knew it was time for a brand and website that better connected people to the work. A brand and website that’s like us—bold, compelling and full of good stories.

In April 2018, IFAW partnered with Base Design, an international design agency that’s worked with clients including JFK Terminal 4, The New York Times, Wellesley College, Fondation Louis Vuitton and the Museum of Modern Art, to redesign the brand and bring it to life online.

“We took a critical look at the animal welfare and conservation sectors, and we saw a similar approach, both visually and editorially, across the board,” said Min Lew, partner and creative lead at Base Design.

“Millennials and younger generations in particular, respond to action, not just shots of animals in the wild. And they want relevant and fresh thinking, not simply a plea for help. The new branding breaks those entrenched branding codes to show that while IFAW protects animals, IFAW is people, doing the work and creating change.”

Together with IFAW, Base conceived of ‘animals and people thriving together’ as the driving brand concept. The typography of the new logo is bold but using lowercase shows IFAW is accessible as an organization. By underlining the “a,” the logo emphasizes that all the work IFAW does centers on animals.

Photography is also a major component of the brand. It’s a powerful way to share IFAW’s approach, resourcefulness and impact. The art direction captures the on-the-ground, raw and active spirit of the work, creating a look that showcases the organization’s distinctly innovative solutions to complex problems.

“IFAW’s website is one of the key communication elements for the new brand, expressing the important connections that are vital to the organization: how humans and animals thrive together and how local actions impact global efforts,” said Mirek Nisenbaum, partner at Base Design.

This new brand does more than reflect the organization’s bona fides or expand its audience. It is designed to grow a global movement, one that will engage both long-time and millennial donors and activists alike.