Services
- Brand Story
- Graphic Design
- Copywriting
- Messaging
- Logo Design
Overview
Rebuilding Trust & Reimagining What a Housing Authority Can Be.
For years, Pierce County Housing Authority faced a challenge that had little to do with housing.
While the organization provided critical housing assistance, developed affordable housing, and helped families achieve long-term stability, public perception had failed to keep pace with the reality of who they had become.
For many, the organization was either unknown or remembered primarily for past challenges. Others misunderstood its role entirely, assuming it functioned as a government enforcement agency rather than a housing resource and community partner.
As Pierce County’s housing crisis continued to intensify, leadership recognized that a new chapter required more than a new logo.
It required a new identity.
Brand Strategy
Before touching design, the team immersed ourselves in the local housing landscape.
We conducted stakeholder interviews, audience research, competitive analysis, and market review to better understand both the housing crisis and Housing Pierce County’s unique role within it.
Finding the Bigger Story Behind Housing
Before we designed the new identity, we needed to understand what Housing Pierce County was really providing.
Through stakeholder interviews, audience research, competitive analysis and market research, one idea surfaced again and again:
A home is more than just a structure.
It’s the foundation for stability. Security. Health. Employment. Belonging. Opportunity.
And Housing Pierce County’s role extends far beyond handing someone the keys.
Through affordable rental communities, Housing Choice Vouchers, education, resident resources and community partnerships, the organization creates multiple pathways toward housing stability while preserving affordable housing and strengthening Pierce County communities.
That gave us the foundation for a brand built not around assistance, but access, opportunity and what becomes possible when someone has a stable place to call home.
From Authority to Opportunity
The name Pierce County Housing Authority sounded governmental and jurisdictional. Community members sometimes assumed the organization had authority over landlord-tenant disputes or was an extension of Pierce County government—neither of which accurately represented its role.
Even the language created distance from the people the organization wanted to serve.
Removing “Authority” represented a fundamental change in how the organization wanted to show up:
Less authority. More accessibility.
Less institution. More community.
Less stigma. More possibility.
Through discovery, we positioned Housing Pierce County not simply as a housing provider, but as a connector, guide and pathway builder.
Brand Guidebook
From there, we established six core brand characteristics:
- Trustworthy
- Resourceful
- Compassionate
- Service-Driven
- Equitable
- Community-Centered
Trustworthy, Not Governmental. Welcoming, Not Institutional.
The new brand needed to rebuild trust without dwelling on the past.
That means the new visual identity needed to accomplish several goals simultaneously:
- Feel trustworthy without feeling governmental
- Feel welcoming without feeling childish
- Feel modern without becoming abstract
- Differentiate itself from other housing authorities and nonprofits
The result is a visual system centered around one simple idea:
An Open Door to What’s Possible
The visual identity turned the strategy into something people could immediately recognize.
The logo transforms a doorway into the defining element within HOUSING, that of a simple visual representation of access, welcome and possibility.
Therefor the open door became a visual expression of Housing Pierce County’s role:
Opening doors to housing.
Opening doors to stability.
Opening doors to opportunity.
A Pacific Northwest-inspired palette of evergreen, sound blue and softer supporting tones brings warmth and a sense of place to the identity, while bold, highly legible typography keeps communications clear and accessible.
Custom neighborhood illustrations expand the system beyond the logo, allowing Housing Pierce County to depict housing not as a single building or archetypal suburban home, but as part of a vibrant, connected community.
