Work
The Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation is the nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit charged by Congress to design and build a monument on the National Mall to honor the suffragists who fought for women’s right to vote, catalyzed a movement for change, and transformed American democracy.
In the wake of Congress signing into law that the Monument will be built, Teal partnered with the Foundation to give their brand and website a full revamp from the ground up to help secure support and funding to make it a reality. This partnership was a pro-bono donation from Teal, combined with a financial donation from Jess Teal. As a woman-owned and woman-led organization, we are passionate about women’s equality, and have been thrilled to be a part of this historic project.
The historic significance and monumental scale of this undertaking is both an honor and a challenge. Throughout all steps of the process, we were cognizant of the imperative to achieve true nonpartisan unity around this effort. We threaded this needle by focusing the brand around the historical moment of the suffrage movement, while looking positively towards the future. The North Stars that guided every decision made throughout this process:
In order to truly do justice to this monumental challenge, we spent months thoroughly immersing ourselves in the history of the movement. A group of Tealers were able to tour _____ and directly study some of the the vast amount of suffragist artifacts that remain undisplayed to the public. We gathered a large library of historical references from the time period to ground our visual language. And we learned directly from the Foundation’s leaders, who are experts on the movement’s history.
The brand messaging framework, including the values listed above, is the foundation upon which all other parts of the project rest. Extensive discovery and historical research helped us develop a messaging framework that provides not only powerful, inspirational language for supporters to rally around, but also clarity for the Foundation itself as it hones in on its mission, values, and key differentiators.
The creative story behind our visual brand captures the collective strength of the women’s suffrage movement, weaving together the past, present, and future, and is full of historical references. The bold color palette was inspired by the American women’s suffrage movement’s use of purple, yellow, and white. Authentic historical photographs from the nation’s leading cultural institutions put faces to the names of the suffrage movement. FCH Zitkála-Šá, the bespoke primary typeface created by first-generation Belizean-American artist and designer, Schessa Grant (they/them), specifically for this project, is inspired by the Art Nouveau style commonly seen on posters and flyers from the American Women’s Suffrage Movement.
For more information about the meaning behind the visual brand, visit the Foundation’s website.
FCH Zitkála is both soft and sharp, like the well-dressed suffragists who strategized and organized for the vote almost 100 years ago. The letterforms are inspired by their hand lettering and the art nouveau aesthetics concurrent with their movement. Working on this has given me a renewed gratitude and re-ignited flame for the challenges ahead. The namesake of the typeface is Zitkála-Sá (1876-1938), a Yankton Dakota writer, musician, and activist who worked tirelessly to see Native Americans be counted as voting citizens. We must remember her story too.
The website for the Foundation at this stage in its development is focused on telling the story of the Movement, the Monument, and the Foundation in a way that gets supporters excited. The main task of the website is to hit home the message that the time for this Monument has come — but it won’t be made a reality without public support. In keeping with the visual brand and overarching strategy, it is full of historical photographs and storytelling about the Movement. It’s meant to inspire a desire to get involved in this piece of history – and perhaps a bit of outrage that it’s taken this long to feature women’s contributions to American democracy on the National Mall.
The new website is everything and what you all have done for the project is truly transformative. And what you've done for women, this is how women deserve to be seen.
For a brand and website of this scale and ambition, getting the word out about the launch is critical. We supported the launch with a comprehensive marketing strategy, focused on email and social tactics to get new eyes on the site and inspire donations. The sleek, modern, and historically rooted brand and website make it easy to inspire potential donors with the gravity of this moment, and get them excited about the opportunity to make history by supporting this monument.
I had the privilege of seeing the musical SUFFs in my early days of working on this project, and one line keeps coming back to me: "I want my great granddaughters to know I was here." Every day working to bring this monument to life, I know we're helping make history. We're ensuring little girls of future generations will KNOW—they'll see a physical manifestation of the tireless work done by the women before them. It's an honor to do my small part in that lineage.
A redesigned website for easier discovery of CEPR’s rigorous and impactful analysis.
The part where we ask you to cough up your email. So we can discuss all the amazing things we’re gonna do together. No pressure. Really.