Gales Creek Camp is a non-profit camp for children with Type 1 diabetes located in Glenwood, Oregon. The summer program helps transition children towards independence by integrating the management of diabetes with social and life skills during a week long camp experience, one of the only diabetic camps that runs all summer in Oregon. Campers can start as young as 5 years old and can continue on until high school.

GCC was looking to re-brand their organization – they craved a fresh look. The goal was to create an iconic identity that captures a rustic, camp vibe while maintaining the heritage of GCC. The challenge was creating a branding system that allows them to keep production costs low and flexible without sacrificing the standard of design.

The Gales Creek Camp motto ‘GCC Strong, GCC Proud’ was the starting point. Creating a strong yet friendly logo was very important to them. The old logo felt too childish, dated and did not represent the fun, adventurous program GCC is known for. The campers become a tight-knit family, with campers and staff attending every summer for a majority of their lives. Many campers eventually transition into staff and counselor roles, so the identity had to be timeless – something they could wear proudly through all seasons of their GCC journey.

A circular badge-style logo was designed as a nod to retro scout badges. Four symbols were developed to sit within a set of arrows – this not only highlights the unique outdoor activities offered at GCC, but also represents the growth, guidance, support, and pride that campers experience. All GCC media was kept to a 1-color print job to help keep production costs low, but also to establish an authentic utilitarian design aesthetic. In addition, a hand-inking stamp of the GCC logo was produced for easy and affordable application to camp collateral such as letterheads, business cards, and envelopes.

GCC’s new brand aesthetic has received positive feedback from parents, campers, and staff. The new branding system now reflects an organization with 50+ years of dedication and credibility. Switching to 1-color print t-shirts and ordering in bulk helped GCC save over $5,000. This summer is the launch of the new identity, followed by a full brand roll out to their website and other collateral towards the end of 2015. It is expected to help raise funds for the GCC non-profit organization for years to come. Stay tuned for the full Gales Creek success story.

You can download a press release here