graphic design volunteer

Pro-Bono Logo and Branding for the Vacancy Collaborative

The Vacancy Collaborative (VC) is committed to the reduction of vacant property as a top priority in St. Louis. We are looking for a graphic or set of graphics that can be used in a variety of formats (print, digital, color, black and white, etc) to create a cohesive visual impact and branding for the VC’s many efforts. The graphic/logo needs to be appropriate for use in both Microsoft Office and Adobe products as well as online.

The VC is looking for support to develop a logo and branding that speaks to the aspirations and efforts of the Vacancy Collaborative. Our current website (www.stlvacancy.com) and outreach materials are simplistic due to our current capacity and recent launch. But as we grow in reach and scope, we are interested in building a common visual to tie together the varied and diverse work that our coalition develops.

The VC is not a stand-alone entity, but a coalition of community representatives, private and non-profit stakeholders, and City agencies. The VC helps to coordinate existing vacancy efforts under one umbrella and encourages the public and private sectors to work together toward solutions in a comprehensive and coordinated way.

The VC currently has only one dedicated staff member, but through it’s network of committees and working groups, engages hundreds of St. Louisians and dozens of organizations in imagining a shared vision around vacant property. Since our launch in July 2018, the VC and its partners helped: launch a new Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative housed at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri that, to date, has opened more than 70 cases to help residents and community organizations reduce and prevent vacancy in their neighborhoods; produce a user-friendly vacancy tools resource guide; engage with residents to convert vacant lots into high quality open spaces; market more than 70 quality LRA properties to potential homeowners; pilot block clean-ups with targeted city services; and launch a new vacancy website that pulls together 12 data sets across four City departments in a way that helps stakeholders take action.

We will have our Vacancy Coordinator available to oversee the develop of the logo/branding, answer questions, provide guidance, and spend time with the student or students working on the project. The timing for our request is flexible. Sometime in the next few months and the fall of 2019 would be ideal (before end of year at latest).

We are looking for students who are interested in graphic design, communications, and branding. Students will have an opportunity to learn more about the Vacancy Collaborative by attending meetings and interviewing participants to understand more about St. Louis’ challenges and opportunities with addressing vacant property and how our work ties into a larger vision.

Find out more: https://www.stlvacancy.com/ or contact Tara Aubuchon for more details: tara@communitybuildersstl.org