Interstate PR

ID | Identity

Branding and Brand Identity

Define who you are.

Interstate PR helps organizations in Sacramento, CA, and beyond define clear, consistent brands built around who they are, what they do, and why it matters.

We work with leadership to establish the positioning, messaging, naming, visual identity, and standards that give an organization one shared definition to build from.

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Does any of this sound familiar?

Sometimes organizations know their brand needs attention. Other times, they recognize the symptoms without knowing exactly what’s wrong.

Your organization has evolved, but your identity hasn't kept up.

Different people describe your organization in different ways.

Your logo, website, and materials don't look or sound connected.

You're launching a new business, school, program, or organization.

Your existing brand no longer reflects your purpose or direction.

You know what makes your organization different, but struggle to communicate it.

These challenges aren't always solved by creating a new logo. Often, the first step is defining what the brand needs to communicate.

Your logo isn't your brand.

A logo is a symbol people recognize. Your brand is the understanding they develop about your organization through its actions, communications, experiences, and reputation.

Brand identity provides a framework for expressing that brand consistently. It helps define what an organization stands for, what makes it distinctive, how it communicates, and how people recognize it.

When that definition is clear, the logo, website, messaging, creative materials, and public communications can reinforce the same identity.

One clear, shared definition everything else can be built from.

The outcome of the ID | Identity route.

Clarity in every part of your identity.

Every organization has different needs. Some are creating a brand for the first time. Others are refining what already exists or reconsidering how they present themselves. Our Identity work can include:

01

Brand strategy and positioning

Defining who the organization serves, what makes it distinctive, and how it should be understood.

02

Brand messaging

Developing the language that communicates who you are, what you do, and why it matters.

03

Naming and brand architecture

Creating and organizing names and identities for organizations, services, programs, and related brands.

04

Logo design and visual identity

Developing recognizable marks, typography, color palettes, and visual systems that reflect the brand.

05

Rebranding and brand refreshes

Helping established organizations evolve their identities, whether through a targeted refresh or a more comprehensive transformation.

06

Brand standards and guidelines

Establishing practical rules and resources that help people apply the identity accurately and consistently.

We don't start with a logo. We start with questions.

Before recommending how an organization should look or sound, we need to understand who it is. We listen to leadership, learn about the organization, and consider the people it serves. We explore what makes it distinctive, where its communications may be unclear, and what it needs to accomplish.

That understanding guides the work, whether we’re creating an original identity, refreshing an established brand, or undertaking a complete rebrand.

The questions that guide us

WHO

are you?

WHAT

do you do?

WHY

does it matter?

WHERE

do you connect with people?

WHEN

do they need you?

HOW

do we get you there?

Our work follows the same process across all six routes: listen, understand, define, create, and connect. Learn more about our approach →

Different challenges. Thoughtful identities.

A brand’s identity should reflect the organization behind it, so the right solution for one client may be very different from the right solution for another. These projects show three different approaches to identity work.

Complete rebrand

The Navis Group

More than a new look. A new brand direction.

Interstate PR partnered with The Navis Group on a complete rebrand, establishing a renewed identity for the organization and a connected family of brands for its three solutions: Practi-Cal, Health e-Kids, and Charted.

The result brings every part of the organization together under one coherent direction.

“Interstate PR understands that a brand is more than a logo. They are thoughtful stewards of our identity, bringing creativity and purpose to brand development while ensuring our story is told with authenticity and consistency.”

Victoria Spitsyn, CEO, The Navis Group

Brand refresh

Woodbridge Crossing

A new identity rooted in the past.

Woodbridge Crossing’s inherited identity featured an ornate W, but offered little indication of the restaurant’s character or experience.

Interstate PR created a new Western-inspired identity featuring a cowboy on horseback, distinctive typography, and the tagline “A Step Into the Past.” Rather than simply modernizing the original logo, the refresh introduced a visual direction that better communicated the restaurant’s personality.

Before: the inherited ornate W
After: the Western-inspired identity

Original identities and brand architecture

Delta Charter Schools

Different schools. One connected identity.

As Delta Charter Schools developed new schools and educational programs, Interstate PR created original visual identities that reflected their individual character while maintaining connections to the larger organization.

From Delta Bridges Charter School and the Criminal Justice Academy to The Academy and Delta STEAM, each identity uses distinctive imagery and typography within a recognizable institutional family. Our work also extended the identity into athletics with a Dragons wordmark and athletic D.

Dragons athletic mark

Questions we hear about branding.

What's the difference between a rebrand and a brand refresh?

A brand refresh updates elements of an existing identity while preserving what still works. A rebrand may involve a more substantial reconsideration of how the organization defines, positions, and presents itself.

Do we need a new brand or just a new website?

That depends on whether the underlying identity is clear. If your organization already has a strong, consistent brand, a better digital experience may be the right solution. If the identity itself is unclear, it may make sense to address that first.

What does a brand identity project include?

Depending on the organization’s needs, it can include positioning, messaging, naming, logo design, typography, colors, and brand standards. We recommend the work that fits the situation rather than requiring every organization to start over.

Is Interstate PR a marketing agency?

No. Interstate PR is a public relations firm that builds trust for companies and organizations by telling their story and managing their brand. Identity is one of six connected routes supporting that work.

A clear identity connects everything else.

Once an organization has a clear understanding of who it is, that definition should guide how it presents itself, tells its stories, and connects with people.

CR | Creative

Bring the brand to life.

Graphic design and creative →

ST | Storytelling

Tell stories worth remembering.

Content, photography, and video →

DX | Digital Experience

Create experiences that work.

Web design and digital experience →

Where are you headed?

Tell us what you’re working on. We’ll start by listening.

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