Ruth Mott is a non-profit organization founded by Ruth Rawlings Mott (1901-1999). The Ruth Mott Foundation’s mission is to advocate, stimulate, and support community vitality. Their commitment is to base the foundation in its home community of Flint, Michigan. The foundation envisions communities of hope and pride, whose neighborhood environments and urban core are safe, attractive, and healthy, enriched by cultural diversity and an engaged citizenry. Their goal is to help residents of north Flint neighborhoods create and sustain opportunities to contribute and thrive.

Seeking specific guidance from the community, the Ruth Mott Foundation compiled data from various sources, including surveys of Summer Youth Initiative participants, Neighborhood Small Grants recipients, and Genesee County Land Bank Clean and Green participants. The imagine Flint Master Plan process, which engaged over five-thousand Flint residents. Other sources included the City of Flint Neighborhood Action Sessions, Genesee County Speak to Your Health Survey, and the Building Neighborhood Capacity Program.

Their SubFoundation Applewood is the historic home of automotive pioneer Charles Stewart Mott and their family. While many wealthy men of C.S. Mott’s time built even bigger and more imposing homes meant to impress, the house at Applewood was created for family and friends and reflected this in its warm and intimate interior. The house is built on a 65-acre plot of land to accommodate a gentleman’s farm. The original buildings include the main house, garage, barn, chicken coop, and gardener’s cottage. The name Applewood comes from the orchard on the property as an homage C.S.’s father, who at one time owned the Company, which is now famously known as Mott’s, Inc.

Ruth Mott Foundation needed a complete rebrand to refresh the company’s look and feel. The primary request was to keep the old mark as an extensive historical part of the foundation.

We were brought in the team to work on brand and development. We started with quick logo sprints; our goal was to generate ideas. After defining the brand’s key elements, we transitioned all material to our art director to do UX/UI. Finally, we worked closely with the senior developer, built separate modules and templates for the site, and implemented the best security practices.

Working with a well-established foundation taught us the importance of a relatable brand identity.