Creating a platform for social change

Urban Justice Center

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#### IN BRIEF

In 1984, The Urban Justice Center started its pioneering work in a burned-out building in East Harlem. With no funding, its team of volunteers arrived at soup kitchens, jails and shelters – places that other lawyers would not go – and set up free legal clinics to help the unrepresented.  Today they help tens of thousands of people each year on critical social justice issues from homelessness to escaping intimate partner violence.

Urban Justice Center is known for incubating progressive programmes and initiatives, alongside providing free legal support to marginalised citizens. In the 35 years since it was founded, its trailblazing projects grew vastly in scale and exposure. Over time, they began to outshine the Urban Justice Center brand. Key stakeholders lost sight of the institution and its values where these projects were conceived.

Our task was to reinvent the Urban Justice brand to reaffirm the core identity of the organisation at the root of all these successes, giving its achievements due justice. 

#### WHAT WE DID

We helped Urban Justice Center (UJC) strengthen its positioning to focus on a harmonious balance of its trailblazing efforts in social justice and nurturing care for its clients and society. With the ideas of trailblazing and nurturing as key drivers, the UJC’s new north star was encompassed by a new proposition: ‘Fuelling Social Change’. 

This became UJC’s new tagline. To serve as a rallying cry to enlist advocates who are ready to uplift, nurture and improve the lives of the most vulnerable in society. The Fuelling Social Change mission statement aptly captures the essence of the organisation: it is a platform for society’s fiercest advocates to empower social change and champion a fair, just and humane society.

With the new north star in place, a new visual identity was developed to complement the strong stance of its mission. Inspired by the grassroots methodology upon which the Urban Justice Center was founded, the visual identity reinterprets the in-your-face attitude of vintage protest placards. 

Bold typography and the gritty imagery style visualise the voice for the under-represented. The typeface used in the brand identity represents the bold, trailblazing advocacy with the ‘Impact’ font, while the second font is a softer, nurturing response in ‘Radley’.

The brand was activated through an updated design and UX strategy for the Urban Justice Center’s website, which earned a Webby award. The website can be viewed at [urbanjustice.org](https://www.urbanjustice.org). 

Today UJC’s projects serve tens of thousands of people each year, on critical issues ranging from homelessness and discrimination, to seeking asylum, or escaping intimate partner violence. The freedom it gives to its advocates has enabled the creation and growth of ground-breaking initiatives, like the new Sex Workers Project, the first program in the US to focus on the provision of legal services, legal training, documentation, and policy advocacy for sex workers.  Inspired by its mission, UJC continues to incubate organizations, support vulnerable New Yorkers, create leaders, and fuel social change.

> “Superunion helped Urban Justice Center find its true identity and voice – they took the time to learn who we are, what we do, and what drives our passion and our work. Superunion helped us create a refreshed brand that sets us apart and enables us to tell our story as a galvanizing force for both our organization and incubator projects. The team then translated that brand into a beautiful and powerful website experience that serves our clients, our attorneys, and our cause. We are grateful for the passion and discipline that the Superunion team brought to our collaboration.”
>
> *— Sara Solfanelli, Chief Operating & General Counsel, Urban Justice Center*

##### Awards

Transform Awards  
*Grand prize* - Best overall visual identity
*Gold* - Best use of typography

New York Advertising Festival  
*Bronze* - Brand design

The One Show  
*Shortlisted* 

Webbys  
*Winner* – People’s Vote


IDENTIFYING THE NORTH STAR FOR TRAILBLAZERS OF JUSTICE AND CARE

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Chief Operating & General Counsel, Urban Justice Center

A new visual brand to reaffirm the identity of the Urban Justice Center, the pioneering organisation at the root of trailblazing projects tackling social justice.

Superunion | Urban Justice Center

Superunion and Design Bridge come together to create Design Bridge and Partners. Redefining what design is and what design can do for brands, businesses, people and the planet. We are a revolutionary design partnership.

Design Bridge and Superunion come together to create Design Bridge and Partners. Redefining what design is and what design can do for brands, businesses, people and the planet. We are a revolutionary design partnership.

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Urban Justice Center

Creating a platform for social change