Salt Youth Association
A youth-led volunteer association that empowers young people to take part in policy-making
Challenge
Industry
NGO
Year
2024
Services
Market Analysis
Brand Positioning
Communication Strategy
Logo Design
Rebranding
Visual Identity Design
Brand Messaging
Communication Design
Salt Youth Association is an NGO founded in İzmir in 2019 and supported by the European Union to serve young people. When they requested our branding consultancy in 2023, we identified several issues regarding their brand identity and communication strategy.
The organization lacked a clear purpose, a defined target audience, and a specific problem it aimed to solve. Its communication style was inconsistent, and the brand personality was undefined. Similarly, the visual identity was unstructured: the logo was difficult to apply, and there was no established visual language in terms of color, typography, or imagery. On Instagram—their primary communication platform—the content lacked coherence and failed to reflect a professional or institutional tone.
Furthermore, Salt did not have a strong or unique brand positioning compared to similar NGOs, which contributed to challenges in membership acquisition.
Process
Before initiating the brand design process, we focused on understanding what the organization fundamentally aimed to achieve and who it was trying to reach. Our analysis revealed several key insights:
— While Salt primarily targeted youth, it also opened its doors to various disadvantaged groups and individuals who 'felt young at heart'. Although this inclusive approach appeared positive, it made it difficult for the brand to focus on a clear objective.
— The management team lacked clarity regarding the organization's core purpose. They pursued multiple goals simultaneously—raising European awareness, encouraging cultural exchange, facilitating dialogue between youth and policymakers, promoting rights-based initiatives, and shaping youth policies.
— The association organized workshops, seminars, and projects to fulfill these objectives, but its communication and branding did not effectively support or reflect these efforts.
Based on these insights, we began working to establish a clearer, more focused brand strategy.
Conclusion
Our recommendation was to simplify and realign the organization's purpose and target audience. The brand needed to clearly articulate the specific issue it aimed to solve for young people and identify a target audience seeking that solution. All elements of brand identity would then be designed around these two pillars.
New Mission — Salt supports young people aged 18–29 in developing their vision on environmental, social, and economic policies, and creates spaces where they can collaborate with policymakers.
New Brand Personality — Salt reflects the Ruler archetype. Its members are responsible, active citizens who seek to take part in policy-making processes and contribute voluntarily.
New Visual Identity — We designed a custom logo and a full visual system aligned with the brand's purpose and personality. We also developed a comprehensive brand guideline document for stakeholders and designers to ensure consistency across all visual communication.