Getting food to those who need it most is no easy feat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) operates 15 federal nutrition assistance programs to handle the logistics of getting food from farm and production all the way to local communities and into the hands of underserved families. USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) programs serve one in four Americans during the course of a year.
With a mission to increase food security and reduce hunger, FNS works to ensure that children and low-income people have access to fresh and nutritious foods. One way they accomplish this is through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which equips community organizations and local government across the country to serve meals to children when school is out of session.
Brunet-García worked initially to develop a thriving brand for SFSP before branching out to other programs within USDA. Senior Account Manager Kate Jolley led the client through discovery and visioning while coordinating creative development of all projects with the Brunet-García team. To earn buy-in and gather input from all SFSP staff, surveys were sent to program stakeholders, and Jolley conducted interviews to ensure visuals were meeting the needs of the entire group.
“There were many stakeholders involved in the discovery and design review process,” Jolley said. “It was important to ensure that every voice was heard.”
Brunet-García used the newly established style guide to shape the guidebooks for those administering and monitoring the programs within each state. When designing the guides, creative staff sought to ensure that a dense volume of information could be displayed in an engaging way, while retaining the fresh spirit of the SFSP brand. Since the guide, fact sheets, and supporting collateral were designed for professionals making food decisions for children, the design is bright and youthful with a sophisticated touch.
“USDA had a well-defined established brand for their Farm to School Program, however, their Summer Food Service Program and the rest of the Child Nutrition Program suite was a blank slate,” said Associate Creative Director Aerien Mull. “We worked with USDA to develop a separate brand that could stand on its own while retaining visual ties to their existing branding to create a cohesive system for the program.”
“This was a great opportunity for Brunet-García to extend the language of the brand by creating custom illustrations that complemented what Farm to School had going for them,” said Art Director Bianca Borghi.
In addition to developing a style guide and multiple program guides in English, Brunet-García translated all materials into Spanish. Communications staff were impressed by the type treatment work and contracted the agency to develop a cohesive group of type treatments for various sub-brands, including the Child Nutrition Program suite and USDA Foods. Brunet-García used playful iconography and vibrant colors to create an engaging suite of type treatments.
The USDA contract work is three years strong and now spans from program guides and reports to trade show materials, infographics, and collateral, including folders and presentation templates.
“We were so pleased to see how well the original type treatments went over with the staff at USDA,” said Art Director Cassie Deogracia. “The continued support and enthusiasm they have for our design work continues to motivate me to push their brand further.”
In early 2017, Brunet-García flexed creative muscle to provide motivation and inspiration to the USDA Food and Nutrition’s Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS). OCFS requested an inspirational poster to highlight values that guide the work they do each day. Brunet-García delivered a reimagined poster along with a “plantable” paper element to engage staff and further demonstrate their office values.
“It has been rewarding to see the new collateral, brand elements, and type treatments seamlessly integrate into their system,” Mull said. “We always love being able to deliver creative product that is intuitive and effective, in addition to being creatively dynamic.”
Brunet-García’s work with USDA has also been recognized by Graphic Design USA magazine with several 2017 American Graphic Design Awards and Health + Wellness Design Awards.
