Organization Background

The Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) of Philadelphia, established by Reverend Leon H. Sullivan in 1964, stands as a beacon of hope and empowerment for individuals seeking to improve their lives through vocational training, job readiness, and educational services. At its core, OIC is committed to fostering individual growth and community advancement.

Reverend Sullivan founded the OIC with a profound belief in the dignity of work and the potential of every individual to achieve economic independence through self-discipline, hard work, and education. He saw the need for a practical, skills-based approach to overcoming the barriers to employment that many in the Philadelphia community faced, particularly among the African American population, which has been disproportionately affected by poverty and unemployment.

The organization offers a wide range of vocational training programs that are closely aligned with the needs of the local job market. These programs include, but are not limited to, areas such as smart technology, healthcare, culinary arts, and banking trades. By focusing on sectors with high demand for skilled workers, OIC ensures that its participants are not just trained, but are also highly employable.

Beyond technical skills training, OIC Philadelphia places a strong emphasis on holistic job readiness. This includes soft skills development, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. These competencies are critical for long-term success in the workplace and are often cited by employers as equally important as technical skills.

OIC has also made significant strides in addressing the challenges faced by individuals reentering society from the criminal justice system, through its comprehensive reentry services. Recognizing the critical need for support and resources for this demographic, OIC has developed targeted programs aimed at facilitating a smooth and successful transition back into the community. These services play a crucial role in reducing recidivism rates, thereby contributing to the safety and well-being of the community at large. Through its reentry services, OIC reaffirms its commitment to inclusive growth and the belief that everyone deserves a second chance to build a productive and fulfilling life.

About the Project

The ROZ Group subcontracted Creative Repute and collaborated on OIC Philadelphia’s rebrand and space design. OIC Philadelphia hired Creative Repute to assist with additional marketing materials for their 60th anniversary gala. The project was initiated with a discovery process involving an analysis of OIC Philadelphia’s existing online presence, a review of archival materials, and the development of a creative brief to define the project goals.

Along with the logo redesign, a detailed style guide was created, including color palettes, typography selections, design principles, photo treatments, and more, ensuring brand consistency across various platforms and media.

Additionally, Creative Repute developed a series of marketing materials to enhance the organization’s narrative and communication efforts, including items such as the letterhead, email signature, social media graphics, and more.

The lobby design offered recommendations for displaying archives and implementing new technology. The front building facade design involved the creation of eye catching treatments. Creative Repute photographed, measured, and designed rough floor plans of the space to use as the base for our collages and plans for how we envision OIC Philadelphia transforming the space. Itemized price lists for furniture were provided. Both the lobby and exterior building designs were modern, welcoming, and representative of the new branding.

The Creative Repute team photographed hundreds of OIC’s archives, including newspaper clippings from the 1960’s. These photographs were touched up and organized in virtual folders by content with the goal of adding the archives to the lobby design and making them more accessible for other uses in the future. Sifting through the archives allowed the Creative Repute team to gain a deeper understanding of OIC’s legacy and mission.

Throughout the project, regular meetings and check-ins ensured alignment between Creative Repute, The ROZ Group, and OIC Philadelphia. These interactions facilitated a collaborative environment and enabled the project to evolve in response to ongoing feedback and insights.

Our Approach

This project consisted of a long list of deliverables, which required a diligent and organized approach to ensure each was tracked and delivered on time. Central to the project was the use of the project management tool Notion, where we established a project-specific board dedicated exclusively to The ROZ Group and OIC Philadelphia work. This platform was a hub for organizing and accessing all project-related information, including notes, deadlines, documents, links, and files.

Regular check-ins with the design team were fundamental to maintaining project momentum and alignment. These sessions provided opportunities for collaboration, brainstorming, and addressing challenges. Additionally, we implemented an extensive internal review process, ensuring that each deliverable met our high standards of quality and creativity each round.

Detailed meeting summaries were provided and shared with the internal and client teams. These summaries captured key decisions, action items, and insights from each meeting, ensuring that all team members, including those who could not attend, stayed informed and aligned with the project’s progress.

The Outcome

The collaborative efforts between Creative Repute, The ROZ Group, and OIC Philadelphia resulted in a transformative rebranding. The new logo and comprehensive style guide introduced a fresh, modern aesthetic that resonated with stakeholders, embodying the organization’s forward-looking vision while paying homage to its rich legacy. This cohesive brand identity was consistently applied across all platforms and materials, from digital to print, ensuring a unified and powerful brand presence.

The marketing materials developed for OIC Philadelphia’s 60th anniversary gala effectively captured the essence of the organization’s impact over six decades. These materials played a crucial role in the gala’s success, contributing to a memorable celebration that honored OIC’s past achievements and future aspirations.

The dozens of deliverables the Creative Repute team provided include the following:

• Discovery Process:
  • Focus group questions
  • Website analysis and social media review
  • Creative brief
  • Review of past consultant’s report(s)
  • Review of archival photos and computers/devices available for the lobby
• Logo Design:
  • Sketches and moodboard
  • Logos in various forms (favicon, primary logo, etc.)
  • Logo inverted, b&w, color, grayscale
• Style Guide Design:
  • Color contrast, accessibility tests, and palettes with RGB, HEX, and CMYK color codes.
  • Selection of Typography: web-safe font(s) and treatment for headlines, body, call-out text, backup fonts, etc.
  • Principles (approaches and problem-solving)
  • Inspiration
  • Design theory
  • Photo style and treatment (filters, watermark, etc. needed)
  • Dos and don’ts
  • Three basic social media templates
  • Instagram grid post
  • Instagram Carousel post
  • Instagram Reel
  • Treatment of corners or activation of corners, margins, and clear space
  • Instructions for implementing fonts
• Icon/Graphic Design(s): 
  • Sketches and mood board
• Lobby design:
  • Recommendations for artifacts to display in the lobby, automation, and self-check-in tools.
  • Mockups and sketches of lobby
  • Floor plan modifications
  • List of places to source materials needed for the lobby
  • Mural proposal
• Highly visible exterior building treatment:
  • Window treatment mockup
  • New awning design
• OIC Print Materials
  • Business card
  • Envelope design
  • Program palm card design
  • One pager design
  • Sticker Design
  • T-shirt Design
  • Photography of archives
  • Timeline design updates
• OIC Digital Materials
  • Social media banner designs for IG, LI, & X
  • Email signature design with the OIC logo
  • Slide deck designs
  • Zoom background designs
  • Newsletter edits & updates
• 60th Anniversary Print Materials
  • Pole banner design
  • Invitation design
  • Sponsorship packages letter design
  • Decorative logo cut out design
  • Name tag design
  • Program booklet design
  • A-frame design
• 60th Anniversary Digital Materials
  • 60th Anniversary logo design
  • Classy website design & updates
  • Instagram story designs
  • Social media banner designs for IG, LI, & X
  • Invitation formatted for OIC website
  • Email signature design with the 60th Anniversary logo
  • Program graphic for social media design
  • Sponsor board designs
  • Digital ad book design
  • Slide deck designs