Branding — University of Kentucky, Markey Cancer Foundation

Being a change-agent has its challenges, and one of those for me was rebranding the 36-year-old Markey Cancer Foundation.  When I arrived at the Foundation, the existing logo (pictured alongside the new mark) looked like something from a 1980’s financial planning firm; a pyramid of variegated green squares, and the University of Kentucky name was nowhere in the logo, name or branding of the Foundation.  

We needed to clearly communicate our relationship with the University of Kentucky for our various constituent groups. Since the University of Kentucky’s iconic blue color is such a well-known brand nationally, and because the UK Markey Cancer Foundation’s mission is to support UK’s cancer center, it made sense to change the name of the Foundation to the “University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Foundation” and to utilize the same color palette and fonts associated with the 150-year-old UK brand.  This was no easy feat, as the rebranding involved a legal name change of the Foundation as well as obtaining approvals from the Board of Trustees and President of the University.

The new logo mark incorporated the University of Kentucky name and official color palette, with a modern floral pattern made from intersecting “M” letters for “Markey”.   The  intersecting lines of the logo mark reflect the Foundation’s intersection with research, education, community engagement, facilities and patient support.  

I worked closely with Bullhorn Creative on the design of the new logo and brand manual, and also developed the ukmarkey.org website and social sharing sites.  The response to the new brand exceeded our expectations, attracting a broader donor audience, new corporate partners and increased collaboration from the larger University of Kentucky community.