In the deaf community, the incidence of violence is much higher than the national average, affecting an estimated 1 in 2 deaf women and 1 in 6 deaf men. Dawn was founded to address this important issue in the Washington, DC, area, which is home to one of the largest deaf communities in the world. 14 years after its founding, the organization had served over 300 survivors directly, responded to countless hotline calls, and referred survivors to legal counseling, emergency safe housing, and forensic rape examinations, among other services. In order to expand its reach and impact, Dawn needed a new identity and marketing materials that captured the deaf community’s strength and the organization’s underlying optimism. After becoming Thinkso’s 2013 Give a Brand! winner, they received just that.
With the help of our sponsors, Thinkso completed Dawn’s rebrand in one day. Here’s a look at the highlights.
Since they serve both women and men, Dawn decided to drop their former acronym. To give their revised name more context, we introduced a typographic treatment that illustrates a change from dark to light—a concept consistent with exposing abuse within the deaf community.
In addition to reworking the editorial structure of the site, we included special features—like a relationship quiz—that add interest and utility.
These large posters visually highlight sexual abuse statistics in the deaf community, letting the numbers speak for themselves. The posters are direct and concise, making it easier for people to understand and help out the cause.
The "W," which contains the dark-to-light transition, can be repurposed for use in headlines, like on this simple overview postcard we created.
We created coasters with lighthearted quotes for Dawn to use at their social events. With their positive messaging about heavy topics, the coasters are designed to provide a warm, friendly introduction to Dawn's mission and services.