Coast Funds
We revitalized the visual identity of Coast Funds to support and honour their work with 27 First Nations stewarding the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii. By grounding the brand in local culture and geography, we empowered the organization to more effectively champion Indigenous-led conservation and economic prosperity.
27
2007
Coast Funds Brand Refresh
Coast Funds is an Indigenous-led conservation finance organization established in 2007 as a result of the Great Bear Rainforest agreements, which protected 6.4 million hectares of coastal temperate rainforest. Created by First Nations, philanthropists, the Province of British Columbia, and the Government of Canada, Coast Funds was formed out of mutual recognition that sustainable financial resources are vital to conservation efforts in the region, making it the first Indigenous-led conservation finance organization in the world.
Coast Funds' vision is to support First Nations in achieving their goals for environmental sustainability and economic prosperity, providing financing and additional services such as long-term stewardship planning, fundraising, and storytelling. The organization upholds First Nations as the ancestral stewards of their territories, and supports 27 First Nations communities in their work.
After successfully completing a report for Coast Funds, we were brought back to refresh their brand identity. The organization needed to make their existing brand more versatile and contemporary while maintaining its established recognition. They required new design elements, an expanded colour palette, and a culturally authentic and appropriate illustration and design elements that would better represent the diverse communities with which they partner.
Our solutions
We developed a refreshed colour palette deeply rooted in the geography and culture of the regions Coast Funds serves. Inspired by Haida Gwaii and the Great Bear Rainforest, we introduced forest greens, shades of blue for the water, and complementary colours like hematite and salmon—all drawn from the local environment. We warmed up the overall brand by transitioning from stark white to off-white, creating a more inviting and organic feel.
We partnered with an Indigenous illustrator to create culturally authentic artwork that includes meaningful symbolism such as trust boxes and salmon roe. This collaboration ensures the visual language honours and accurately represents the First Nations communities at the heart of Coast Funds' work.
The payoff
The brand refresh introduced more colours, design elements, and illustration options, giving Coast Funds the flexibility to communicate across different contexts and audiences while maintaining a cohesive, recognizable identity that reflects the richness of the First Nations with which they collaborate.
Aquinnah Headwaters.
