Sempervirens Fund
How to stand out as a tree in a forest.
A New Look for the Sempervirens Fund
The Challenge: Founded in 1900, the Sempervirens Fund had longevity on its side when it came to brand positioning. But over the years, as more groups claimed the protection of redwood trees as their mission, the Fund realized it needed to do more to set itself apart.
Our Approach: Fenton sharpened the Fund’s positioning by identifying its most important differentiator: It is the only organization in the country to focus exclusively on saving redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Calling out this specific geographic boundary also helped reinforce something the Fund staff found deeply compelling and true about their supporters: their passion for redwoods springs from experiencing the majestic giant trees “up close and personal” in their local region. We made sure the graphic logo we created captured these qualities. The new logo also shifted the Fund away from its image of a single tree to a forest, the better to underscore its commitment to saving entire ecosystems.
Progress, Accelerated: Sempervirens Fund took our recommendations to heart. They redesigned their web site and underlined their unique positioning in their messaging and across their marketing collateral as “California’s oldest land trust and the only organization exclusively devoted to permanently protecting the coast redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains.”
