Mary Ann Pathy Foundation

We began by working with the Foundation to define how Mary’s values would live on through its work.

The Foundation takes a trust-based approach to philanthropy. They want to build relationships with frontline organizations over several years, keep their processes simple, and give their partners room to define what success looks like in the communities they know best.

Carefully chosen messaging gave the Foundation language to explain this approach and the values behind it. At its centre is the principle “Simply. Substantially. Sustainably.” Simply means being easy to work with and grounding relationships in trust. Substantially means making investments that can have a meaningful impact. Sustainably means staying with organizations over time and helping them grow stronger.

Mary had a big personality, and the Foundation wanted the brand to convey her warmth and spirit.

In our discovery process, we heard stories about someone who was curious about people and the world around her, who gave you her full attention when you spoke, and who loved colour, joy and even a little glitter. The brand needed to feel true to that person while giving a new foundation an identity it could grow into.

The new logo puts Mary Ann Pathy in handwritten lettering, keeping her name and personality at the heart of the Foundation. Three hand-drawn stars became a recurring element across the brand as a small nod to Mary’s love of sparkle.

We built the palette around a deep Foundation Blue, with a softer set of colours for the Foundation’s three areas of giving: yellow for education, green for mental health and purple for eldercare.

Photography focuses on the women and girls at the heart of the work. Gradients, layered photographs and illustrated elements bring movement and personality to the identity and give the Foundation a flexible set of tools to tell stories about each area it supports.

We carried the new identity into the materials the Foundation will use as it begins building relationships with grantees and peers. We created report and presentation templates, business cards and email signatures, along with a Brand Guide that gives the team the tools to use the identity consistently.

We also developed variations for education, mental health and eldercare. Each has its own colour while remaining part of the larger Mary Ann Pathy Foundation identity, allowing the Foundation to highlight individual areas of its work as its partnerships grow.

We designed the Mary Ann Pathy Foundation’s website as a simple introduction to the Foundation and the ideas behind it.

The site is primarily for frontline organizations the Foundation may work with, as well as peers and experts in its areas of focus. Its role is to give visitors a clear sense of who the Foundation is, what it funds and what it will be like to work together.

The one-page website introduces Mary and her story alongside the Foundation’s mission, vision and approach to giving. It also gives each of the three funding areas its own space and introduces the partners through whom Mary’s legacy will continue.

The result is a new foundation shaped by the person who inspired it. Mary’s handwriting, her love of sparkle and her thoughtful way of showing up for people now have a place in the brand, while her belief in giving people care and attention lives on in how the Foundation works with its partners.