Systemic Justice
Dismantling unjust systems, a brand that moves towards justice.
Sectors: Legal, NGO
Services:
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Competitor analysis, systems change design, brand narrative & character traits.
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Visual identity; logo, typeface, graphic style & more.
Verbal identity; tone of voice, brand tags & hero messaging. -
Copywriting, motion, social media, collateral design.
Understanding The Brief
In the process of achieving justice, lawyers have a duty to represent a legal case. But what happens when marginalised people are seeking justice? Where do they go? Systemic Justice helps organisations, communities and movements to stand up against social, economic and racial injustice, working directly with them to make change to law and policy, dismantling unjust systems.
Gaining traction as a non-profit law firm that provides community-driven litigation*, Systemic Justice empowers movements to understand how the law can create positive change. Its mission to rebalance power dynamics within litigation meant moving away from traditional conventions in the legal sector, so that people who are impacted by injustices can fight for change on their own terms.
Leaving cliche imagery of court rooms, angry people and raised fists behind, we set about creating an identity that moves Systemic Justice's legal expertise and community focus to the forefront, while being accessible to those who need support for their cause.
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*Litigation is the process of resolving a dispute or redressing a harm by taking a legal complaint to an official body that has the power to make decisions about that complaint.
Finding The Unfound
We built a brand that transitions with intent, to serve the many voices calling for justice. Understanding that supporting movements requires agility and adaptability we made litigation seriously accessible, to give justice a voice that won't go unheard.
The brand levels the playing field, equipping organisations, movements and collectives with the tools they need to utilise litigation, so that law is no longer in the lead. Backed by Systemic Justice — the movements' law firm — people can confidently take action towards justice for themselves, their communities and a fairer society for all.
Under The Surface
Systemic Justice are able to utilise their brand assets to communicate a deep commitment to campaigns for justice, bringing hope to people who have been failed by the law. These ‘tools for change’ aren't limited to physical collateral such as courtroom documentation packs or corporate stationery, as the movements' law firm, Systemic Justice embodies its cause in every expression of its brand;
through a tone of voice where every word builds momentum,
through typographic choices* that draw attention to the long fight of dismantling discrimination,
through a comma device that shows support of many voices, people, causes and ideas,
through a graphic style that creates structured visual communications, with an arrow shape that provides direction and growth, a corner triangle that represents our scaling impact, a community cloud that combines the power of collective efforts.
Reflecting their ability to support and make movements for justice, this adaptable brand is primed for a variety of situations and outcomes. So that many voices can move law along.
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*The Systemic Justice logotype uses the ‘MARTIN’ font – a non-violent typeface inspired by the Memphis Sanitation Strike of 1968 and designed by a Black-owned design agency.
Unearthing Value
Systemic Justice shows that brand values needn't be reserved for an 'about us' page on a website, they run through every aspect, pixel and communication of this brand — from typographical choices to verbal tone of voice. This innately supports the brand's dedication to work alongside discriminated people in campaigns for justice.
"We really enjoyed our collaboration with Unfound. They took the time to understand the essence of our organisation and the work we do, and this resulted in a brand that’s striking and powerful, with a coherent story running through it that represents who we are. The feedback from our audiences and stakeholders has also been unanimously positive.
We hope the new brand and tone of voice will help us broaden our reach and enable us to connect with new communities and movements who can benefit from our work. Unfound were a dream to work with – all deadlines were respected despite being very tight. We’re already working with them on new projects and would wholeheartedly recommend them."
- Ipek Leni Candan, Head of Communications.
Live feedback from Systemic Justice’s audience:
Unfound Studio Samples
"The Systemic Justice re-brand was an important project for us. This powerful brand fights for a just world, a testament to our unwavering commitment as a studio to create and promote meaningful disruption and change. This new identity is a clarion call for that change, central to Systemic Justice's vision."
- Tebo Mpanza, Client Director at Unfound Studio